Universities In Southwest Research Articles

Relationship between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy and Competencies and Public Universities Professional Secretaries’ Job Performance

Universities professional secretaries’ job performance is crucial in ensuring the executives can carry out their academic and administrative functions effectively. Therefore, this study aims to determine the relationship between ICT literacy and competencies and job performance of professional secretaries in public universities in Southwest, Nigeria. Data collected from 609 professional secretaries are analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The findings of the study revealed a significant positive relationship between ICT literacy with ICT competencies and job performance. In conclusion, this study verifies the link between ICT literacy and job performance of universities professional secretaries. Hence, this study recommends professional secretaries to raise their ICT literacy to a more noticeable competent level that would contribute significantly to their job performance in public universities.

Information Seeking Behavior and Use of Library Services by Disabled Students in Federal Universities in South-West, Nigeria

This study examined the influence of information-seeking behavior on library services used by the disabled in Federal universities in South-west, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprises 302 disabled students in Federal universities in South-west, Nigeria. Total enumeration technique was used. A questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument was tested for reliability, yielding Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.74 to 0.75. Descriptive and Inferential Statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that advisory, carrel and consultancy services were the most available services. The most used services were user education services and consultancy services. The respondents’ information-seeking behavior mostly involves seeking information on health and retrieving information from the e-library. The study concluded that information-seeking behavior influenced the use of library services of disabled students. The study recommended that library management must provide more resources on health-related subjects, especially in electronic form. Finally, the management should improve their current awareness services tailored to the needs of disabled students and library staff should be trained on how to serve every library user irrespective of their challenges.

Influence of Information Culture on Job Satisfaction of University Registry Personnel in South-West, Nigeria


 
 
 This study aims to investigate the influence of information culture on job satisfaction. The study adopted survey research design. The population consisted of 2009 registry personnel working in federal, state and private universities in South-West, Nigeria. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 715 personnel. A validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Response rate was 70%. The data were analysed using descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (regression). Findings from the study showed that information sharing (β = 0.054; t(497) = 1.227; p > 0.05), information proactiveness (β = -0.006; t(497) = -.132; p > 0.05) and information control (β = 0.027; t(497) = .537; p > 0.05) did not significantly influence job satisfaction. The study concluded that information culture contributed to the level of job satisfaction of university registry personnel in South-West, Nigeria in terms of quick access to relevant information to enhance service delivery and openness in information sharing. Consequently, it was recommended that the university management should improve on institutional information culture practice to enhance the job satisfaction of the university registry personnel.
 
 

Relaxation Activities and Work Environment as Correlates of Academic Staff Productivity in Universities in Southwest, Nigeria

Relaxation Activities and Work Environment as Correlates of Academic Staff Productivity in Universities in Southwest, Nigeria

Media Resource Utilisation and Productivity of Lecturers in Federal Universities in South-West, Nigeria

Media Resource Utilisation and Productivity of Lecturers in Federal Universities in South-West, Nigeria

Staff Training and Career Development among Library Staff in Federal Universities in Southwest, Nigeria

Library personnel development determines service provision, achievement of institutional goals, productivity/development of users and career development of library staff. The study examined the challenges of career development among library personnel in federal universities in Southwest, Nigeria. Four out of the seven federal universities in Southwest, Nigeria were selected. A structured questionnaire was employed for data collection. Total enumeration technique was employed to gather data from 163 library personnel (80 librarians and 49 paraprofessionals) and 129 (79.6%) copies of the questionnaire were found useful for the study. The study indicated that majority of the library personnel in all the universities perceived that library management was highly committed to capacity building, however, at least 50% of the respondents in each of the universities were of the opinion that the capacity building programmes were inadequate. Furthermore, majority of the library personnel in all the universities reiterated that the most important benefit of capacity building was improvement in service delivery. The three major reasons for attendance of capacity building programmes were to get trained in the latest technologies; enhance library service delivery and because they had never attended before. The programme most attended were workshops/seminars 30 (85.7%) and conferences 30 (85.7%); their greatest challenge was irregular sponsorship from their university. It was recommended that library management should put in place more capacity building programmes to enhance effective service delivery and provide funds for the trainings.

Digital Literacy Skills and Academic Engagement of Library and Information Science Students in Universities in South-West, Nigeria

The study examined the influence of digital literacy skills on students’ academic engagement. The study population was 395 final year Library and Information Science (LIS) students in three (3) selected universities accredited to offer Library and Information Science and allied courses in South-West, Nigeria. A sample size of 199 was determined using Taro Yamane’s (1973) formula. Stratified random sampling was used to select the respondents who participated in the study. A structured and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The study found that digital literacy skills had positive and significant influence on academic engagement of undergraduates. Therefore, the study recommended that the university management, during student orientation program, should emphasize the conscious effort students themselves must make to take charge of their academic life. The universities should use digital platforms as much as possible for the delivery of teaching-learning processes. Keywords: Academic engagement, Digital literacy, Library and Information Science students, Nigeria, Undergraduates

M-learning: A Nexus for Adult Learners’ Motivation and Readiness to Learn in Federal Universities at Southwest, Nigeria

The aim of this study was to examine the perspective of adult learners on the relationship that exist between motivation to learn, readiness to learn and the use of m-learning for teaching and learning activities. In order to accomplish this, descriptive research survey design was adopted by this study. The population of the study comprised of adult students at the distance learning programmes of Federal Universities in Southwest, Nigeria. The sample for the study comprised of one hundred and twenty adult learners that were selected using multistage sampling techniques. A questionnaire was designed for data collection and validated through face and content validity while the reliability was done through Cronbach Alpha with coefficient 0.89. Collated data were analyzed through simple percentage and Pearson product moment correlation. The findings revealed that adult learners use mobile devices and there are significant relationships between motivation to learn, readiness to learn and the use of m-learning. It was recommended that m-learning should be formally introduced into adult education programme in Nigeria.

Survey of Preservation and Conservation of Information Resources in Private University Libraries, South-west, Nigeria

Background of study: Preservation and conservation of the cultural, social and technical context of our heritage are germane. Purpose: The study examined the preservation and conservation of information resources in selected private university libraries in South-west Nigeria. Eight (8) selected private universities in South-west, Nigeria with the population consisted of one hundred thirty-seven respondents which comprised of library professionals and para-professionals. Method: The study employed a survey research design and random sampling technique. Data collected with aids of semi- structured questionnaire and was analysed using frequency, mean and standard deviation with the aid of a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS) version 20.0 Results: The findings revealed that book becoming torn is the highest nature of deterioration followed by vandalisation, mutilation and brittle of print library materials. Moreover, the study revealed that digital preservation level of utilisation is low and is not extensively used in selected private university libraries. Conclusion: The study concluded that preservation and conservation techniques are recognized in the selected university libraries, but the digital preservation techniques are not adequately used due to various constraints. One of the recommendations made was the provision of formal training for library staff on preservation and conservation of information resources.

Industrial Actors` Perceptions of Industrial Disputes in Public Universities

There has always been serious concern about how industrial actors in public universities in Nigeria perceive industrial disputes as a means of enforcing collective agreements jointly reached and signed. A group may likely see industrial disputes as unnecessary and destructive while others may see it as a veritable tool for enforcing their labour rights. This study therefore examined the industrial actors’ (university management, academic staff and non-teaching staff) perception of industrial disputes in public universities in Southwest, Nigeria. Descriptive research survey design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of the management staff and all the staff of public universities in Southwest, Nigeria. The sample size of the study was 280 respondents (80 management staff, 100 academic staff and 100 non-teaching staff) randomly selected from four public universities across Southwest geo-political zone. Data was collected through a selfdesigned questionnaire. T-test analysis was used to analyze the three hypotheses raised at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that there was significant difference in the way university management, academic and non-teaching staff perceive industrial dispute while there is no significant difference in the way academic and non-teaching staff perceive industrial disputes. It is therefore recommended that all the industrial actors in public universities in Southwest, Nigeria should not see industrial disputes as destructive engagement since disputes are naturally part of organizational existence. Effective management of industrial disputes through sincerity of purpose should be adopted by the industrial actors.

FLEXIBLE WELLBEING AND ORGANIZATIONAL CREATIVITY: PERSONALITY TRAITS ROLE

Organizational creativity is indispensable in a highly competitive and dynamic academic environment; and the role of individuals is mostly unquantifiable. Hence the study argued that the ideas, novel research output, patents, grants of the academic staff depend on the flexible wellbeing of the workforce which is at a low level in Nigeria. Thus, the paper investigated the role of personality traits on the relationship between flexible wellbeing and organizational creativity. The paper implemented a cross-sectional survey research design and collated data from six hundred and twenty-one academic staff ranked from Senior Lecturer to Professor from eight selected private universities in South-West, Nigeria through applying multi-stage random sampling technique. Reliable and validated tests were conducted on the adapted questionnaire before it was used for the study. The result from hierarchical regression analysis using SPSS add-on called process analysis revealed that personality traits have a moderating effect on the interactions between flexible wellbeing and organizational creativity (ΔR2 = 0.014, ΔF(1, 528) = 13.579, p < 0.05). Management to tailor wellbeing policies and practices to workers’ creative drive as there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to designing an effective flexible wellbeing strategy.

Psychological Capital and Information Literacy Skills as Determinants of Job Performance of Academic Library Employees in State Universities in South West, Nigeria

Rationale of Study – This study investigated psychological capital and information literacy skills as determinants of job performance of academic library employees of state universities in South-West, Nigeria. The specific objectives are to determine the levels of psychological capital, information literacy skills and job performance of the respondents and to ascertain the relationships among psychological capital and job performance of the respondents.Methodology – The survey research design was adopted. The total enumeration technique and validated questionnaire were used to gather data on a population size of 140 academic library employees with 100 percent response rate achieved.Findings – The findings revealed that psychological capital (r=0.636, p<0.05) and information literacy skills (r=0.682, p<0.05) had significant relationships with job performance of the respondents. Also, psychological capital had significant relationship with information literacy skills of the respondents (r=0.716; P<0.05). More importantly, psychological capital and information literacy skills significantly determined job performance of the respondents (F=60.004, df=2; 115; Adjusted R square=0.5020; P<0.05).Implications – The study demonstrates that psychological capital and information literacy skills are critical ingredients in enhancing job performance of academic library employees in state universities in South-West, Nigeria.Originality – Few study has been done on psychological capital and information literacy in relation to job performance of academic library employees.

Perception of Nigerian Lecturers on Usefulness, Ease of Use and Adequacy of Use of Digital Technologies for Research Based on University Ownership

This paper investigated the perception of Nigerian lecturers on usefulness, ease of use and adequacy of use of digital technologies for research based on university ownership. The use of digital technologies for research in the 21st century for ease and access of information cannot be underscored irrespective of lecturers’ university ownership. The study was descriptive of survey type using structured questionnaire to elicit response from the respondents. A total of 742 respondents were drawn purposively from 13 public comprising state and federal universities in South-west, Nigeria. The research instrument was validated by 3 educational technologists and the reliability indices of r=0.92, 0.85 and 0.83 using Cronbach Alpha was attained on perceived usefulness, ease of use and adequacy of use of digital technologies respectively for research at 0.05 level of significance. Frequency counts, means and percentages were used to answer research questions 1-3, while 3 research hypotheses were tested using independent t-test statistical instrument. The finding revealed that lecturers in the federal government owned universities exemplified high perception on the usefulness and ease of use of digital technologies. However, lecturers from state government owned universities perceived adequacy of use of digital technologies for accomplishing research task effectively with minimum error. The study among others provision of institutional support, procurement of needed digital technologies and internet facilities, seminars, workshops and trainings to all university lecturers on usefulness, ease of use of newer digital technologies and skills to possess in accomplishing research task effectively with minimum error; irrespective of university ownership.

The Role of Colour Perception in Visual Sustainability: a Survey of Senate Building Facades in Selected Universities in Southwest, Nigeria

Colour perception is essential in the appreciation of the physical world. The inclusion of colour in the consideration of sustainable development of buildings is an important environmental and social factor which calls for distinguishing different colours for diverse building typology. This paper was aimed at identifying public colour preference for senate building facade in selected universities in southwest Nigeria, with a view to establish distinct colour scheme for office buildings. A survey research design was adopted with the stratified random sampling technique used in selecting respondents. Primary data were obtained through the administration of questionnaire to 577 users from ten selected universities. Photographs of 10 selected university senate building façade were attached to the questionnaire to serve as bases for assessing the buildings. Data was analysed using frequencies, percentages and mean ranking. The study revealed that façade colour is an important architectural element for visual sustainability and lighter shades of different colours were observed to be most preferred by the respondents in the study area. The study recommended the need for equipping the design professionals on the fundamentals of colour choices as an architectural design element for building façade attractiveness.

Nomenclature and Functions of Corporate Communication Units of Nigerian Universities: A Comparative Examination

Communication is an essential process in universities. Corporate objectives, goals, relationships and control are ensured or jeopardised by the communication network put in place by university management. The name of an organisational communication unit has strategic implications, and its functions distinguish it from other units within the university. The paper uncovers various labels of universities’ corporate communication units. It shows the functions of these units; and how the labels determine their functions. In-depth interview was used to gather data from communication officers of six selected universities in southwest, Nigeria. While the descriptive survey helped to generate data from other employees of corporate communication units as well as faculty members of mass communication departments of the six selected universities. Findings show that 41.4% of the respondents did not know the name of the corporate communication unit of their universities. Communication officers affirmed that the unit carried out several functions. A revelation is that, in some cases, the name of a communication unit could influence how the Unit functions. The study concluded that there was need for universities to have a standardised document on corporate communication unit naming, structure and operations. It was recommended that universities could adopt the Directorate of Public Relations as the name of their communication unit for uniformity and consistency.

Employability Skills as Predictor of Innovative Work Behaviour of University Secretarial Staff in South-west, Nigeria

: those who want to develop themselves and become assets to the organization. The role of the secretarial staff as the custodian of information in the university cannot be over-emphasized. The performance of the secretarial staff depends on the knowledge, skills and abilities possessed by them. This study examined the extent to which employability skills and organizational citizenship behaviour would predict innovative work behaviour of University secretarial staff in South-West, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive research design of ex-post facto type. Nine (9) hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The sample for the study consisted of 1,209 (one thousand two hundred and nine) secretarial staff in 36 (thirty-six) universities in South-West, Nigeria selected through stratified random sampling technique. Four (4) instruments were used for data collection namely: Demographic Data Form, Graduate Employability Scale (GESS), 'r'=0.86; Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale (OCBS), 'r'=0.96; and Innovative Work Behaviour Scale (IWBS), 'r'=0.95. Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used to analyse the data at 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that there was a significant composite contribution of employability skills, organisational citizenship behaviour to the innovative work behaviour of university secretarial staff (R2 = .90, F(2,1166) = 0.109). Employability skills (â= -0.004; t=0.233) and organisational citizenship behaviour (â=0.011, t=0.404) had relative contribution to innovative work behaviour, but organisational citizenship behaviour was the most potent contributor to innovative work behaviour. It was concluded that employability skills and organisational citizenship behaviour jointly predicted the innovative work behaviour of University secretarial staff in South-West, Nigeria. The study recommended, among others, that the secretarial staff should endeavour to seek for more knowledge to equip them with relevant employability skills that will make them to be assets to the organisation The University secretarial staff should be exposed to regular training programmes with emphasis on how to enhance their employability skills and further improve their creativity.

Implications of Stress and Study Habits on Academic Outcome of Undergraduate Nursing Students in Selected Universities in South-West, Nigeria

Introduction: Stress is a physical and emotional reaction that individuals exhibit as a result of the threat from demanding circumstance(s). Excessive exposure to stress may result in mental and physical problems which may diminish a student's sense of worth and might affect his or her academic outcome. This high level of stress has been widely reported among undergraduate nursing students throughout their academic program.
 Aims: This study determined the implications of stress and study habit on the academic outcome of undergraduate nursing students.
 Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used for this study.
 Place and Duration of Study: Department of Nursing, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo Osun State and Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo Ogun State between April, 2018 and May, 2018.
 Methodology: A convenient sampling technique was used to select 156 participants from a target population of 762 undergraduate students (200 – 500 Level) in the selected institutions. Data were obtained using a self-developed questionnaire which consists of three sections that address the objectives of this study. Hypotheses were tested at 5% level of significance.
 Results: Findings from the study show that 20.1% of the respondents usually experience tiredness when they are about to study, 22% reported using stimulants to help them read for a longer period. Furthermore, 42.0% of the student engaged in personal studies and 41.4% used group discussions. 23.7% of the students claimed that proper preparation for tests and examinations improved their academic outcome. Overall, 57.7% of the respondents go through moderate level of stress while 9.6% go through high level stress. The findings from the study show that there is no significant association between studying habits and academic outcome of the undergraduate nursing students (p. Value > 0.005).
 Conclusion: Nursing students (who are the future nurses), face considerable levels of physical, psychological and mental stress during the course of their training, which in turn affects their academic performance. There is also no significant association between studying habits and academic outcome of the undergraduate nursing students (p. Value > 0.005). It is therefore important to identify stressors among such students and equip them with and/or provide appropriate coping mechanisms that can help the students adjust to stressful situations, and in turn emerge as excellent health care professionals.

Availability and Awareness of Electronic Databases for Teaching and Research by Lecturers in Public Universities in South-West, Nigeria

The introduction of databases by university libraries has presented lecturers with opportunities of obtaining accurate, timely and up-to-date information with little effort. However, research reports have revealed that there is low level of awareness of electronic databases by university lecturers. Hence this study investigated availability and awareness of electronic databases for teaching and research by lecturers in public universities in South-west, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to: ( I ) identify the types of databases available to lecturers in public universities in South-west, Nigeria; and (ii) examine the extent of awareness of available databases for teaching and research by university lecturers in South-west, Nigeria. The study adopted the descriptive research design of a correlational type. The population comprised 10,452 lecturers in fifteen public universities in South-west, Nigeria from which a sample size of 836 was drawn using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study revealed that numerous electronic databases were available in public university libraries in South-west, Nigeria and that university lecturers’ level of awareness of most of the electronic databases for teaching and research was above average (60.6%) as against below average reported in the literature. It can be concluded from the study that the university libraries in South-west, Nigeria are not creating much awareness of their electronic databases. It is therefore recommended that university libraries, especially in South-west, Nigeria should intensify their promotional activities geared towards marketing their electronic databases.

Library leadership: opinions and attributes about Nigerian women academic librarians breaking the glass ceiling

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the opinions and attributes about Nigerian women librarians breaking the glass ceiling that prevents them from reaching management positions in their respective libraries.Design/methodology/approachDescriptive survey research design was used for the study. Questionnaire was used as the instrument of data collection. The population of the study was 147 librarians at the university libraries of the six federal universities in South-west, Nigeria. Purposive and census sampling techniques were used for the study.FindingsIt was found that the opinions about women librarians occupying management positions in the libraries are negative. Women librarians do not have the required attributes and capability for management positions despite the fact that the extent of their preparedness for management positions is high. The study revealed that there is significant relationship between gender attributes and managerial capability.Originality/valueIt was recommended that there should be abandoning of organisational stereotype that characterises the opinions of librarians which make them think that women librarians are not fit for management positions. Women librarians should develop the attributes and capability that can qualify them for management positions in libraries.

Influence of ICT Skills on Library Information Resources Utilisation by Undergraduates in Two Universities in South-West, Nigeria

The study investigated the influence of ICT skills on library information resources utilisation by undergraduates in two universities in South-west, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research was adopted for the study. From a population of 32,419 undergraduates in the University of Ibadan and the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, a multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 407 respondents. Questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. Four hundred and seven copies of questionnaires were administered to respondents, however, 377 were found useful for the analysis. Research questions were answered using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage and mean distribution, while the research hypothesis was analysed, using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and was tested at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study showed that ICT skills possessed by the undergraduates were high. The extent of library information resources utilisation by undergraduates was generally low; however reference materials and monographs/textbooks were highly utilised. The result also revealed that there was significant positive correlation (r = .383**; p< 0.05) between ICT skills and library information resources utilisation. Thus, it was recommended that library management should leveraged on the ICT skill possessed by undergraduates by adopting and implementing ICTs in the provision of library services that would enhance ICT skills and facilitate the utilisation of library information resources by undergraduate.Keywords: ICT Skills, Library Information Resources, library resources, utilisation