Adebowale Akande

ASSESSING THE APPROACHES TO LEARNING OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS

ABSTRACT The reliability and validity of the Study Process Questionnaire (Biggs, 1987) is investigated for 352 Nigerian undergraduates. The concepts involved in the SPQ are relevant to Nigerian students and the SPQ scales and subscales were found to be of adequate internal consistency reliability for research purposes. This conclusion was further enhanced by the meaningful factor structure of responses to the SPQ subscales found for the Nigerian sample. However, doubt is cast as to the metric equivalence of SPQ scales across cultures making it difficult to Interpret direct cross‐cultural comparisons of mean scale scores.

Fears of aids in Nigerian students: Dimensions of the Fear of Aids Scale (FAIDSS) in West Africa

A study based on a sample of 2500 individuals aged 18 years and over in six west African cities was undertaken for the purpose of determining the cross-cultural consistency and replicability of fears about AIDS. A factor analysis of the data obtained confirmed a similar factor structure to that reported in Australia. Implications for the prevention of HIV transmission in Nigeria and other west African countries is discussed. Our findings showed that the fear of AIDS Scale (FAIDSS) is a reliable index of fear of aids and is readily scaleable. Other implications for health education are considered.

Student evaluations of teaching effectiveness: a Nigerian investigation

An investigation is reported which tests the applicability of two American instruments designed to assess tertiary students evaluations of teaching effectiveness with 158 Nigerian undergraduates. The scales were found to have generally high internal consistency reliability coefficients, most of the items were seen to be appropriate, and every item was considered of importance by at least some of the students. In addition, all but the Workload/Difficulty items clearly differentiated between ‘good’ and ‘poor’ lecturers. Factor analysis found a strong main factor of teaching effectiveness plus a minor factor referring to course workload and difficulty. Further analysis generally supported the convergent and discriminant validity of those scales hypothesized to measure similar or dissimilar components of effective teaching. However, this analysis supported the factor analytic results as more overlap between aspects of teaching skill and enthusiasm was found than has been evident in Western studies. Thus there must be doubt about the cross-cultural validity of a multidimensional model of teaching effectiveness.

Death Anxiety and Death Denial: Nigerian and Australian Students' Metaphors of Personal Death

Ninety-two Nigerian students and 114 Australian students completed Templers (1970) Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) and Feifel and Nagys (1981) death fantasy measure of positive and negative death metaphors. They were each also asked to write his or her own metaphor of personal death. Results of the DAS showed that the two groups did not differ significantly on the level of conscious death anxiety, but Nigerian students scores were significantly higher on both positive and negative personal death metaphors scales. Also, significantly more Nigerian students wrote personal metaphors of their own and more often used a neutral metaphor to describe their personal death. Australian students more often used a positive or a negative metaphor. The Nigerian students thus evidenced less death denial than the Australian students did.

Sex Differences in Preferences for Ideal Female Body Shape

The investigator aimed to replicate on an African sample Fallon and Rozins (1985); Huon, Morris, and Browns (1990); and Tiggemann and Penningtons (1990) findings of sex differences in female body preferences. Males and females were asked to identify their ideal female body shape and the one they believed men and women in general would prefer. A simple analysis of variance and t test demonstrated a discrepancy between womens actual and preferred body sizes, while the males knew the females preferred size. These findings support the previous studies. The female undergraduates and adult womens consistently negative evaluations of their own body compared with their ideal or preferred body are explored and found to result from being subjected to implicit pressures toward thinness not suffered by their male counterparts. Recommendations for future research are made.

Preferred and Actual Learning Environments and the Approach to Learning of Nigerian Students.

RESEARCHERS HAVE DISCOVERED that, to understand how students learn, they must see both the learning task and the learning environment from thestudents point of view. Ramsden, Martin, and Bowden (1989) showed that Australian schools that were seen as offering supportive teaching, coherent structure, emphasis on autonomy, and moderate stress on achievement were more likely to encourage their students to adopt a deep approach to learning, with an emphasis on understanding, rather than a surface approach in which the focus is on rote learning. Hattie and Watkins (1988) showed that Australian students who use deep approaches to learning, necessary for highlevel learning outcomes, tend to prefer classroom environments that are enjoyable and oriented to independent study and competition.

Strategies for becoming an inviting parent: Suggestions for caregivers

Potential early developmental issues were identified for child and caregiver. Practical ideas are presented as guidelines to be used in encouraging an invitational approach to family living.

INFLUENCE OF URBAN-RURAL UPBRINGING ON NIGERIAN STUDENTS' TEST ANXIETY '

To examine the effects of urban and rural upbringing on test anxiety 221 Nigerian high school students completed measures of test anxiety and environment/academic performance. Analysis showed that younger urban groups scored better than older rural groups in academic performance, rural students having high scores in environment/academic performance scales. The findings corroborate earlier work on urban and rural upbringing and test anxiety. Suggestions for cross-cultural research which incorporates test anxiety and the construct of concentration are detailed.

Perception of Visual Illusions in a Sample of Nigerian Children

This study examined the effects of cultural factors on perception of 15 boys and 21 girls in Nigeria. The five geometric illusions of Segall, Campbell, and Herskovitz were shown in booklets. Previously tested Afghan boys gave evidence of greater illusion than the Nigerian children. The findings also supported previous research on perception of illusion.