JOURNAL OF MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION IN EDUCATION AND HUMANITIES

This paper discussed some key essential elements to valid and reliable research results in education and social science disciplines to assist the young and inexperienced researchers, postgraduate and undergraduate students to come out of their obscured dilemma take the right step in the right direction and knowing the appropriate things to do at every step of research procedures. The discussed elements include: research variables, research question/hypothesis, research design, sample and sampling techniques, research instruments, data analysis and testing of hypothesis. The paper suggests that there is need for proper mentoring of the young inexperience researchers and postgraduate students by the experienced researchers through co-authorship of research works and attendance of conferences and seminars. 

The study developed a scale for measuring assessment literacy of university teachers and determined the validity and reliability of the scale. This is with a view of improving university teachers’ assessment literacy. The study adopted the non-experimental research design of the descriptive type. The population comprised all lecturers working in universities within Osun State. The sample consisted of 549 university teachers (lecturer II and above) that were not in training position from different disciplines selected using convenient sampling technique in all the eight accredited universities within Osun state. The study made use of three instruments namely; University Teachers Assessment Literacy Scale (UTALS), Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) and Teacher Burnout Scale (TBS). The results showed that the 60- item UTALS was reduced to 43 items after the psychometric procedure of item retention and deletion were applied. Scree plot and eigen value methods showed that the final UTALS construct validity had seven factors of university teachers’ assessment literacy that accounted for 86.46% of the total scale variance and also converged and discriminate significantly with the Teacher Efficacy Scale (r = 0.75) and Teacher Burnout Scale (0.52) respectively. The internal consistency reliability of the scale was 0.96 (Guttman), 0.90 (Cronbach), and 0.96 (Spearman). The study concluded that the university teachers’ assessment literacy scale developed in this study had adequate psychometric characteristics and is suitable for measuring assessment literacy of university teachers in Osun State.     

This study examines influence of class size on teachers’ effective administration of continuous assessment in accounting class in Lagos State. Non experimental design involving descriptive research of the survey type was employed for the study. The population for this study consisted all of 57 and 36 financial accounting teachers in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State and Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State respectively while judgmental sampling technique was used to select fifty five (55) respondents representing 60% of the entire population. The instrument for data collection was structured questionnaire, validated by experts in measurement and evaluation. Cronbach alpha was used to determine reliability of the instrument, which yielded the coefficient alpha value of 0.79. The data collected were analyzed using mean to answer the research questions while Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that class size determines the validity of continuous assessment’s administration in financial accounting and influence accounting teachers choice, grading and feedback to students. Based on findings, it was recommended that Lagos State Government should employ more accounting teachers in secondary schools to meet the rising number of students in accounting classes. Also, accounting teachers should consider preparing feedback sheet with a list of the most common problems along with an explanation/model answer instead of replying individual students.

The study investigated the unidimensionality of 2015/2016 Biology Multiple-choice Items of Osun State Joint Promotion Examination (OSJPE).It also estimated the item parameters (difficulty, discrimination, and guessing indices) of the Multiple-choice questions under the 3-parameter model of Item Response Theory (IRT). Ex-post-facto research design was adopted. The population used in this study comprised students' responses to the 40 Biology questions in the OSJPE for 2016. The sample size consisted of an intact class of 2000 students' responses in Biology as contained in the Optical Mark Recorder (OMR). Biology questions and students' response sheets constituted the instruments for the study. Data collected were calibrated to establish item difficulty, discrimination, and guessing indices using X-Calibre 4.2.The data was also subjected to factor analysis to establish the unidimensionality of the items. Results showed that the assumption of unidimensionality was satisfied in the 2015/2016 Biology items of OSJPE, since there was one dominating factor (first factor with the eigenvalue of 5.78 that explained 14.45% of the total test variance) among the items set using factor analysis. Twenty-five (25) (62.5%) of the 40 multiple-choice Biology items were considered to have defects of high difficulty level, low discriminating ability, and high guessing tendency under the 3-Parameter Logistic model (3PL). The study concluded that the items were not stable as far as item difficulty, item discrimination, and guessing indices are concerned using IRT Frameworks. It is then recommended that IRT should be maintained in construction of Biology test items that will be gender and location balance, because of its position in the investigation of reliability and in minimizing measurement errors.

This study investigated married medical nurses’ personality types and marital instability among married medical nurses in Ondo State. The study adopted non experimental design involving descriptive research of the survey and correlation study types. The population of the study was all married medical nurses in Ondo State. The study sample was 360 married medical nurses selected using multi-stage sampling technique from 12 purposively selected medical facility centres in Ondo State. A structured validated instrument was used to collect data for the study. The data collected were analysed using frequency count, mean, standard deviation and regression. The results indicated that age at marriage will not significantly predict marital instability among married medical nurses (F=0.029; R=0.006; R²=0.000; P>0.05). Agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, neuroticism, extraversion and physical appearance significantly predicted marital instability among married medical nurses (F=3.874; P < 0.05; R=0.271; R² =0.074).  Based on the findings, it was recommended that married medical nurses should not allow much thought and pride of their physical appearance and extraversion attributes to gain access and topple their matrimonial life for sustainability of their marriage and should not close eyes against the need to visit professional marriage counsellors when there is need to do so.

This study investigated effects of synthetic phonics-based instruction on pupils’ interest in reading in English. The study adopted quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group research design. The population of the study is all the 4,820 primary one pupils in Anyigba Education Zone of Kogi State. Simple random sampling technique was used to draw 82 pupils (40 males and 42 females) from four primary one intact classes. Instrument for data collection was a researcher-made English Reading Interest Scale (ERIS) which was validated by experts in Language Education and Measurement and Evaluation from Kogi State University, Anyigba. The internal consistency, using Cronbach alpha, was ascertained which yielded a coefficient of 0.96. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05alpha level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that synthetic phonics-based instruction has significant effect on pupils’ interest (F(_1.80)=24.844;p<0.05) while gender has no influence on pupils’ interest in reading in English when taught with synthetic phonics (F(_1.80)=2.236;p>0.05). Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that using synthetic phonics-based instruction is effective in enhancing pupils’ interest in reading in English more than the conventional method hence it was recommended, among others, that synthetic phonics instruction should be incorporated in English studies curriculum at the primary school level.

This study investigated the predictive influence of working mother’s personality types for their children’s academic performance in Kogi State. The study used descriptive survey type of the non-experimental research design. The sample for the study was 480 working mothers employed in public and private establishments with their children in senior secondary school class two (SS2) selected through multi-stage sampling technique from the three senatorial districts of Kogi State. The study used a structured questionnaire and a proforma to collect data on the working mothers and their children’s academic performance. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that there was no significant influence of working mother’s personality types on the students’ academic performance (F(_4,474) =0.580; P>0.05); also there was no significant predictive influence of openness, agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism as personality types on the academic performance of children of working mothers (F (_4,474) = 1.344; P>0.05). Based on the findings, it was recommended that working mothers should try as much as possible to relate their character or personality type with those of their children to balance how they respond to their children’s academic upbringing

The study examined the relationship between the study habits of male and female secondary school students and their attitudes toward examinations in Ondo State. The non-experimental research design of the descriptive survey type was adopted for this study. Five hundred and forty (540) secondary school students in Ondo State were randomly selected for the study. An instrument called Study Habits and Attitudes of Secondary School Students toward Examinations Questionnaire (SHASSSEQ) was used to collect data on students’ study habits and attitudes towards examinations. A reliability test coefficient of 0.76 was used to collect data for the study. The data collected were analyzed using frequency count and percentage score. Two hypotheses were formulated and tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Findings revealed that the attitudes of male and female secondary school students towards examination are influenced by their study habits. Based on these findings, it was recommended that for effective change in students’ study behaviour, Counsellors have to improve on their interaction with students. At the primary school level proper orientation about good study habits ought to begin.

Literacy is crucial for personal and national development. Conversely, illiteracy leads to underdevelopment and all manner of crimes especially in developing nations, Nigeria inclusive. It is believed that different forms of literacy skills could be acquired by inmates in the correctional centres in order to be properly rehabilitated, be productive after their jail term, and thus avoid recidivism. It is against this background that this study examined the literacy needs and rehabilitation of inmates in Correctional Service Centres in Ondo State, Nigeria. The study employed non experimental research design involving descriptive research of the survey type. The respondents were inmates in the Correctional Centres in Ondo State. Purposive sampling technique was used to select sample size of 268 (male and female) inmates from Correctional Service Centres in Ondo State. Data collected for the study through the use of structured questionnaire were analysed through the use of frequency, mean, percentage and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Findings showed that no significant relationship existed between literacy level and the participation of inmates in the literacy programmes in correctional centres:(r_cal=0.215; r_tab =0.2540 (p<0.05). It was concluded that literacy programmes can improve the life of inmates and solve the problems of unemployment, thereby reducing the rate of recidivism. Consequently, it was recommended among others that, inmates should be exposed to different literacy programmes that would fully equip them for a productive life after imprisonment.

The study sought to examine guidance and counseling for students with special needs in college of primary education, Epe, Noforija, Lagos State. It is a non-experimental study, which involving the use of a descriptive survey research design where questionnaire was used to acquire necessary data for the research work.  Population comprises of all students with special needs in college of education, Noforija, Epe, Lagos. Random sampling technique was used to select 100 students which were randomly selected as sample for study. Two (2) research questions were raised and answered in this study. Reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha and data collected were analyzed using percentage. The research findings revealed that guidance counsellors having a prerequisite skills and basic knowledge in counselling and monitoring of students with special needs will go a long way in instilling better learning in their various disciplines. Therefore, it is highly recommended that counseling should be viewed as an integral and comprehensive school programme rather than a peripheral one. Also, to reinforce the place of guidance counsellors in the school system, government should continue to make provision for the training of teachers in guidance and counselling and that government should establish and equip counselling clinics, career resource centers, and information centers; and that school authorities should provide adequate number of guidance counsellors for the institution.

The study examined strength and weaknesses of African Education systems in the Management of COVID-19. The study adopted a non experimental design involving descriptive research of the survey type in which 300 secondary school teachers were purposively selected from twenty (20) secondary schools in south-west, Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was a self-developed questionnaire divided into four sections with 29 items based on the research topic. Four research questions were raised and answered using frequency count, percentages, means and standard deviation as statistical tools. The study revealed that confusion and stress for teachers, parents and unpreparedness for distance and home schooling, among others are the impacts of COVID-19 outbreak on African Education systems. The study also revealed that, there is need to prepare, cope, and plan for recovery in order to strengthen African Education systems. The study also showed that, poor budgetary allocation, corruption and unpreparedness; and course content unable to satisfy the student needs due to certain flaws are the major weaknesses of African Education systems in the management of COVID-19. The study further revealed that printed take-home materials for students, online digital platform, provision of soap, sanitizers and masks are the possible solutions to weaknesses of African Education systems in the management of COVID-19. Based on these findings, the following recommendations among others were made: Education sector should ensure a safe return to quality learning for students, teachers and school community.

This study examined the economic implications of traditional and modern methods of research publication outputs in Nigerian universities.  Non experimental design involving descriptive research of the survey type was used for this study. The population of the study consisted 171(92 public and 79 private) universities in Nigeria with 79,254 members of staff (61,000 academic staff and 18,254 academic staff of public and private universities respectively). Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted for the selection of 285 respondents. Structured questionnaire titled “Economic Implications of Traditional and Modern Methods of Research Publication Outputs (EITMMRPO)” was used for data collection. The reliability coefficient of 0.89 was obtained using Cronbach alpha method.  Data collected were analysed using Chi-square (c²) to test formulated hypotheses at 0.05 level of significant. Findings from the study revealed that academic staff of both public and private universities spent more of their money on traditional method of research publication outputs than that of modern method. It was recommended among others that, government and school management should motivate academic staff in terms of research publication outputs through financing both traditional and modern methods of research publication outputs.

The study examined the influence of mental health disorders on academic performance of secondary school students in Kogi East Senatorial District. The non-experimental research design that involved descriptive research of the survey type was used for the study. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 110 students from 147 secondary schools across the Local Government Areas of the district. A structured questionnaire titled “Student’s Mental Health Disorders (SMHDQ) was used for the study. The reliability of the instrument was established using test-retest method through pilot testing on 15 students who did not participate in the study. Data collected were then correlated using Pearson Product Movement Correlation which yielded a coefficient r value of 0.86. Data collected through the questionnaire were analysed using frequency count and mean. The results of the study revealed that both emotional disorders and disruptive behavioral disorders have negative impact on academic performance of the students. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that mental health services be provided in all schools.  While mental health should be incorporated into the schools’ curriculum, schools should employ a trained guidance counsellors and psychiatrists to maintain good mental health among students.

The study examined the effect of testwiseness training on Mathematics performance of secondary school students in Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State. Quasi-experimental design was used to execute the study. Two public secondary schools were randomly selected for the study. Eighty-seven (87) senior secondary school class two students were purposefully selected from the two randomly selected public secondary schools in the study area. The students selected from the two schools were assigned to two groups in which one group was assigned to experimental and the other to control. The students in the experimental group received training on testwiseness for six weeks by the researchers. Data were collected through Mathematics Performance Test (MPT) designed by the researchers with reliability coefficients of 0.75 and 0.76 for pre-test and post-test respectively. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The study showed that there was significant difference between the Mathematics performance of students exposed to testwiseness training and those not exposed to testwiseness training in favour of the group exposed to testwiseness training (F_(1,87) = 69.61; p ≤ 0.00), and that there was no significant difference between the Mathematics performance of male and female students exposed to testwiseness training. This means that testwiseness training, if well executed, could necessitate improvement in students’ performance especially in Mathematics. It was, therefore, recommended that testwiseness training should be introduced to students during and after teaching-learning process; and that teachers should also be encouraged to incorporate testwiseness instructions to their regular classes to further improve test taking skills of their students and reduce the rate at which students go into examination malpractice.

Education is considered as a weapon of change and social responsibility of government to be given to her people which improves the transformation of any meaningful national development. This study investigated the Nigerian Colleges of Education lecturers’ attitudes towards students’ evaluation of their teaching effectiveness. The research design adopted was descriptive while the population entails all lecturers from all the colleges of education across south west zone in Nigeria. Purposive sampling was used to select two federal and two state colleges while random sampling was adopted to select 380 lecturers. A structured questionnaire titled “Lecturers’ Attitudes Questionnaire on Students Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness” (LAQSETE) was used for data collection. Percentage and chi-square was used to analysis data obtained. Findings revealed that 63.61% of the lecturers have positive attitude. The results also showed that gender, status and teaching experience affect lecturers’ attitude.It was concluded that gender, status and teaching experience of lecturers made significant differences in the attitude of lecturers towards students’ evaluation of their teaching effectiveness while only age of the lecturers did not make any significant difference.Therefore, it is recommended that students’ evaluation of lecturers’ teaching effectiveness should be paramount to theeducational system in colleges of education. Also in order to encourage the student’s enthusiasm, the management of the college and the stakeholder as a whole should create awareness for the students on the importance of their rating and give the assurance that the evaluation results will be used appropriately.

The study examined attitude of parents towards girl-child education in the IDPs’ camps in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State. Two null hypotheses were tested. The non-experimental design of the descriptive survey was used. Population of the study was all the parents in the internally displaced persons’ camps in Maiduguri Metropolis The sample comprised of one hundred and twenty parents. Three IDPs camps: Bakassi, Teachers village and Gubio road IDPs camps were randomly selected while stratified random sampling technique was used to select forty parents from each of the three selected camps such that twenty of them were male and twenty were females. Data were collected using a questionnaire titled “Attitude of Parents towards Female Child Education Questionnaire (APTFCSEQ)”. Data collected were analyzed with the use of chi-square and t-test. The findings of the study revealed that there was no significant difference in attitudes of parents towards girl child education. It was further revealed that there was significant gender difference in attitude of parents towards girl child education in the study area. The study concluded that there were negative attitudes of parents towards girl child education and there was significant gender difference in attitudes of parents towards girl child education. It was recommended that government should provide free and compulsory education to girl-child. Religious and community leaders need to discuss the importance of girl child education to their subjects and counselling services needs to be provided to parents especially those whose daughters were school dropouts.

The study investigated the effectiveness of cooperative and competitive instructional strategies on students’ academic achievement in Mathematics in Lagos State. The sample of the study consisted of one hundred and eighty (180) Junior Secondary School class two (JSS2) Mathematics students of three randomly selected secondary schools in Ifako Ijaiye Local government Area of Lagos State and made up of ninety (90) boys and ninety (90) girls selected through stratified sampling technique. Quasi experimental design was adopted for the study. Two instruments: Pre-test Mathematics Achievement Test (PMAT) and Post-test Mathematics Achievement Test (PAT) were used to collect data. The reliability coefficients of the instruments were found to be 0.8 and 0.85 using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The experiment lasted for four weeks, and the data collected were analyzed using analysis of covariance and t-test statistics at α = 0.05 level of significance. The finding revealed that cooperative instructional strategy was a better strategy and that boys and girls significantly performed better when taught with cooperative instructional strategy. Based on the findings, it was concluded that cooperative instructional strategy is more potent and better results oriented than competitive instructional strategy, therefore it was recommended that cooperative instructional strategy should be adopted by teachers in the teaching of Mathematics in secondary schools. Mathematics curriculum should inculcate cooperative ideas that will allow meaningful classroom interactive patterns for promoting academic achievement. Cooperative instructional strategy should be introduced in secondary schools in Nigeria.

The study examined the influence of principals’ communication strategies on teachers’ instructional task in secondary schools. The population comprised all principals and teachers in public secondary schools in Akure South Local Government Area, Ondo State. The sample consisted fourteen (14) principals and one hundred and fifty four (154) teachers selected across the Local Government Area using random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analysed using percentage and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The results showed that among communication strategies adopted by principals include: principal meeting with teachers daily on salient issues in the school (71.5%), engaging teachers through e-messaging and online chatting (57.2%), placing suggestion boxes strategically within the school premises (71.4%), organizing regular staff meetings to discuss important issues in the school (68.6%), disseminating important messages through unit heads (92.9%), meets personally with individual teachers on professional issues in school (64.3%), using phone calls and text messages for urgent information (42.9%). Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that teachers’ instructional task performance to a large extent depends on principal’s communication strategies, therefore it was recommended that principal should consider critically the various information disseminating strategies and the situation surrounding the information to be communicated to the teachers and adopt the easiest and fastest result oriented method. A combination of more than two methods could as well be employed to achieve the target goal.

This Study investigated adequacy of resources and students’ academic performance in selected subjects in Senior School Certificate Examination in secondary schools in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The non experimental design involving descriptive research of the survey type and ex-post facto were used for the study. All public secondary schools’ principals in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State formed the population. The random sampling technique was adopted to select a small size of 10 principals because of the similarity of condition of Schools in the Local Government Area. “Adequacy of Resources and Students’ academic performance Questionnaire” was designed to elicit information from the respondents. Data were analyzed using percentage and mean scores. The analysis of the research questions revealed that the higher the index of availability and adequacy of resources the higher the academic performance of students of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area in WASSCE. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that government, parents and old students’ association should play a collaborator role in ensuring the adequacy of resources in public secondary schools across Akoko-Edo Local Government Area and Edo State in general.

The assumptions in all Item Response Theory (IRT) models include Local independence of test items, meaning the items in a test should not be related to each other. Sharing common stimuli, which is prevalent in mathematics tests can be a potential source of local item dependence (LID) which is a violation of this assumption. It is argued in the literature that LID results in biased parameter estimation and affects the unidimensionality of the test. In this study, the prevalence of local item dependence in the two major senior secondary school national examinations conducted in Nigeria and the resultant effects are examined. The research design adopted was descriptive survey. The population consisted of secondary school students in Osun State. A sample of 1800 students was selected for the study. The instruments used for the study were 2009 West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE). Data were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis, and t-test. Findings showed that LID occurrence in both examinations but there was no significant difference between its occurrence in both examinations (t = 0.205, p > 0.05). The study showed that both WAEC and NECO SSCE examinations were comparable in terms of psychometric properties. Based on the findings, it was concluded that assumption of Local independence of test items was disregarded in the process of constructing items for WAEC and NECO SSCE,  both WAEC and NECO SSCE exhibited occurrence of LID  Therefore, it is recommended in order to ensure test fairness that LID should be evaluated and fully incorporated as one of the steps involved in the process of test construction to