SCHOOL LOCATION AS A CORRELATE OF MATHEMATICS STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT IN A COOPERATIVE LEARNING CLASS

Chianson, Mimi Martha

Department of Curriculum and Teaching

Benue State University, Makurdi

E-mail: Searchhbk@yahoo. Com

ABSTRACT

The study was carried out to ascertain if school location has an effect on mathematics students achievement in a cooperative learning classroom. Students are made to believe that where their school is being located (rural or urban settlements) affects their performance in mathematics. It is the researchers believe that, if the appropriate teaching strategy is implemented, students may find mathematics more enjoyable not minding their various school location. This research was carried out on 174 SS2 students in government co-educational secondary schools in Benue State, who were taught circle geometry. The study was that of a quasi-experimental design. One research question and one hypothesis were formulated for the study. The mean and standard deviation was used in answering the research question and ANCOVA was used in testing the hypothesis. The findings of the research revealed that students in the urban schools performed better than students in the rural schools. This may be as a result of lack of funding to provide these schools with necessary instructional aids, well qualified teachers, lack of in-service training of teachers to keep them abreast with knowledge of relevant teaching strategies and building facilities. If the government pays close attention and provides intensive monitoring for funding in schools in rural areas, these schools may also be in a better position to utilize an appropriate classroom strategy to enhancing a better achievement in mathematics at large and geometry specifically. Based on level of improvement of the funding of rural schools, more parents may be encouraged to send their children to rural schools.

Keywords: Rural schools, urban schools, Environment factors, schooling factors, cooperative learning strategy.

GIRL-CHILD/WOMEN EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Esther Daniel Mshebila

Department of Early Childhood Care and Education

 School of Education, Federal college of Education, Yola

E-mail: estherdanielmshelbila@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Education is the power and key to a meaningful and fulfilled life. It propels and sustains life. Education allows the girl-child/women to have greater control of their lives, provides them functional skills to make meaningful contributions to their societies. Quality and accessible education for the girl-child/women accords them the right to take decisions for themselves and to impact positively on their families and communities. Functional education is what the girl-child needs because it provides the foundation for meaningful development and social benefits. Education of the girl-child/women has generated a lot of concerns and that is why world leaders find it necessary to enact policies and laws that will provide adequate education and conducive environment for children and especially  the girl-child to thrive in their education endeavours for better life. This paper discusses the following: Concepts of sustainable development, The Unique nature of the girl-child/women, education for the girl-child, women and the imperative nature of girl-child/women education for sustainable development. The paper drew recommendation and conclusion.

PROBLEM OF INTEGRATING GIFTED AND TALENTED CHILDREN IN AN

INCLUSIVE SITTING

Yahya Umar Magaji

Department of Educational Psychology/Guidance and Counseling

Federal College of Education, Yola

E-mail: magajiyahyaumar@yahoo.com

ABTRACT

This paper focuses on the problem of interacting with gifted and talented children in an inclusive setting. It takes a critical look at the introductory aspect of the subject matter, conceptualization of the framework, various categories of gifted and talented children, characteristics of gifted and talented children, procedures for identification of gifted and talented children, gifted and talented in an inclusive setting, problems of inclusive education of gifted and talented children and strategies for nurturing gifted and talented educational needs.

THE TEACHER AS FACTOR IN THE EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF

ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN LANGUAGE IN NIGERIAN SCHOOLS

Moses Africa Adakonye & Matthew Ogbonyomi

Department of Languages

Federal Polytechnic Idah, kogi state

ABSTRACT

The model of English usage acquired through the educational system has a great impact on the socio-political life of Nigeria since English language is the main medium of instruction in Nigeria schools. It is an aberration for one who claimed to have passed through all the three levels of educational institutions but cannot efficiently use English in communicating his intentions or desires. The incompetence and ineffectiveness exhibited by teachers of English in Nigeria is unarguably synonymous with the quality of their education. This discourse therefore, examinees the teacher as a factor in the effective teaching and learning of English. It proffers recommendations toward a more pragmatic and pedagogical teaching of English, for a purposeful and result oriented system of education.

SOCIAL SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR SELF-RELIANCE

Abdur-Rahman Olalekan Olayiwola

Department of Political Science

Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria

E-mail: nusramurana@yahoo.co.uk

ABSTRACT

This paper on Social Science Education for Self-Reliance canvasses support for the integration of Interdisciplinary Studies, Entrepreneurial Education and (Training, Sustainability Education, among a host of other Social Scientific Disciplines in the curriculum through restructuring with a view to enhance sustainable national development, engender critical, creative, liberated and self-reliant citizens for development and self-determination. It is also aimed at supplementing and complimenting Nigeria’s philosophy of education which is based on the integration of the individual into a sound and effective citizen and equal educational opportunities for all citizens of the nation at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, both inside and outside the formal school system. While attempting to ensure that the conceptual horse of Social Science Education is put in front of the areal cart so that scholarly investigation is hung on a stronger intellectual reed, the paper discusses the concepts of Social Science Education, Self-Reliance, Entrepreneurial Education, Sustainability Education, Sustainable National Development, the issues of Unemployment and Under-employment and the role of schools and Universities in producing Social Science Education Graduates for Self-Reliance and Sustainable National Development. It wonders, in fact, if students bother to question why a set of intellectual activity is referred to as a discipline! By extension, the paper also wonders if we as teachers sometimes question the significance if not the relevance of some of the things we teach. It takes the Social Sciences as examples and asks why it is thought necessary for us to produce graduates in Economics/Economics Education, Political Science/Political Science education, Geography/Geography Education, Sociology or Psychology. Why not a graduate in Social Science/Social Science Education where Social Science Constitutes a balanced mix of sub-sets of the set of discipline we presently call the Social Sciences/Social Sciences Education. The paper finally recommends, among a host of other germane recommendations that:

1. Any worthwhile attempt which is directed at ensuring greater utility of the Social sciences/Social Sciences Education by public and private sectors policy makers will have to involve a process of change which will affect both the Social Scientists/Educators, the Universities, Research Centres and Institutes, and the policy makers in the Nigerian Society.
2. Social Science Education for Self-Reliance should enable learners to change from dependence syndrome to independence and inter-dependent cooperation with others.
3. Self-Reliance is key to poverty reduction in Nigeria
4. Education looses its true meaning and purpose where learners graduate without requisite desirable knowledge, skills, attitudes, values and competences
5. Entrepreneurship Education should be integrated into the .curriculum to provide students with the knowledge, skills and motivation to encourage entrepreneurial success in a variety of settings.

Education should stress on concepts of equality and responsibility to give service which goes with any specia¹ ability – provision of legal services, media, communication production and public relations including advertising, medical health services, designing and printing, carpentry, plumbing, welding, animal husbandry, food production, culinary studies, hospitality, catering for daily consumption, mechanical Ventures, Public/Private Administration/local Government Consultancy, Planning/conveyancing, surveying, or academic pursuits, to counteract temptation to intellectual arrogance, despising non- academic abilities.

• Education for Sustainability or Sustainability Education should be encouraged in all its  ramifications.
•  Government machinery and institutions should provide leadership in guiding and rallying
  the people to face challenges of sustainable national development with enthusiasm in
  confidence.
• It is imperative that the field of Social Science Education be permitted to flourish
  alongside other interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary disciplines and sub-fields.   Should this
  not evolve both the field of Social Science Education in general and Education in
  particular, will be poorer for it.
• Finally, it is contended that without effective leadership, slogans of self-help and self-
  reliance will be useless to people and sustainable national development.

CORRUPTION, LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Rasak Bamidele

Department of Sociology and Psychology          

Fountain University Osogbo, Osun State.                                                                            

 E-mail:delerasak@yahoo.co.uk

ABSTRACT

Corruption is a moral decadence that has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian political terrain. Most government world over, Nigerian government inclusive, are bedeviled by the problem of good governance, they are most hit by the precarious problem of corruption, as such most of them records a downward trend in development be it political, economic or social development. The promise of the early years of independence has given way to mismanagement, personal or group aggrandizement by the ruling elite at the expense of the ordinary citizens. There is high level of corruption which has driven many Nigerians in to absolute poverty. People are adversely affected through bad and corrupt governance as such it has made meaningful development elusive. Corruption inflicts so many kinds of negative effects on any society where it exists and persists until such society is purged of such immorality and social problem, which in turn can lead to other social problems. Corruption is a world – wide phenomenon which has been with societies throughout history, it has caused political and economic instability in societies and depending on the scale. It has led to social conflict and violence as contending groups struggle for state power which is the source of distribution of resources and other amenities in the society. Therefore, the paper attempts to investigate corruption, leadership and development in Nigeria.

Key words: Corruption, Development, Leadership, Embezzlement, Economic crime