Ugochukwu Chinonso Okolie, Paul Agu Igwe, Chinyere Augusta Nwajiuba, Sunday Mlanga, Michael Olayinka Binuomote, Hyginus Emeka Nwosu and Charles O. Ogbaekirigwe
There has been much debate in recent times about the factors that improve the quality of teaching in higher education (HE) institutions. This has been especially fueled by the…
Abstract
Purpose
There has been much debate in recent times about the factors that improve the quality of teaching in higher education (HE) institutions. This has been especially fueled by the increasing importance attached to Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) qualification. To fill the existing gap in the current literature in this regard, this study aims to investigate whether HE teachers (lecturers) who undergo pedagogical training (PT) in addition to obtaining PhD qualification possess higher knowledge and pedagogical competencies (PCs) than those that relied only on having PhD qualification without further teaching qualifications.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing upon data collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 1,174 Nigerian HE teachers in various disciplines from 39 HE institutions, in addition to two focus groups, the study adopts a mixed-methods research. The quantitative data were analyzed descriptively while qualitatively data were coded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically.
Findings
This article proposes that teachers who undergo PT in addition to obtaining PhD tend to have more PCs and perform better than those that have not undergone any form of PT. Also, it found a statistically significant difference between PCs of HE teachers who have undergone PT in addition to PhD qualification from those without PT. The implication is that teachers who have undergone PT are more effective in facilitating teaching and learning than those who have not completed PT.
Research limitations/implications
Despite the merits of the mixed-methods research, a major limitation of this study is the failure to compare students' achievements or successes based on the two distinct samples. However, the limitations create opportunities for further studies into the subject matter.
Originality/value
This study is timely, given that Nigeria (like many African countries) has a low quality HE system and low graduate outcomes (related to knowledge, employability, and skills). More so, research into pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and practices are rare or nonexistent in the literature related to Nigeria and other African countries' HE system.
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Ambrose Ogbonna Oloveze, Ogbonnaya Ukeh Oteh, Hyginus Emeka Nwosu and Ray Ozoemena Obasi
Several e-payment technologies have diffused in Nigeria yet debit card usage on POS devices have not shown consumer confidence in its usage thereby affecting the cashless policy…
Abstract
Purpose
Several e-payment technologies have diffused in Nigeria yet debit card usage on POS devices have not shown consumer confidence in its usage thereby affecting the cashless policy drive of the nation. The study considered an affective commitment of users as moderating their behaviours. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how user behaviour is moderated by an affective commitment on point of sale terminal.
Design/methodology/approach
Following the purpose of the study, the research design is a survey. The questionnaire was adapted from earlier studies and tested for reliability and validity using Cronbach’s alpha and content validity. Andrew F. Hayes process was used to analyse the moderation effect.
Findings
The finding revealed that affective commitment significantly moderates users’ ease of use of the device, their perceived usefulness of the device and their social image on their intentions to use the device.
Research limitations/implications
The findings implied that there is a need for the development of policies and strategies which should be directed towards the users of the device. Equally, the general conclusions on collective e-payment channels in a society should be discarded given that each e-payment channel can have different factors influencing it than the others. This is where customer-focused advertising and awareness campaign becomes very important.
Originality/value
This paper declares that the research work is not submitted anywhere for publication or for review. It was conducted by the authors who have given their consent for it to be submitted to Rajagiri management journal
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Ugochukwu Chinonso Okolie, Hyginus Emeka Nwosu and Sunday Mlanga
Following the outcry of several employers that many higher education (HE) graduates do not possess employability skills and therefore are not employable, the purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Following the outcry of several employers that many higher education (HE) graduates do not possess employability skills and therefore are not employable, the purpose of this paper, therefore, is to examine what the labour market (LM) actually demands from the higher education institutions (HEIs) and how the demands of the LM can be met by the HEIs in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on interviews and focus group with 28 university professors, executives of the students’ industrial work scheme (SIWES), industry executives, executive officers of the Directorate of Employment and the HE course/programme leaders that revealed substantial information about what the LM actually requires from the HE, and how the HE can meet the demands of the LM in terms of supply of quality graduates.
Findings
The key findings reveal that with adequate teaching resources and competent teachers, graduate employability skills (technical and soft), which the LM demands from the HEIs, can be imparted to the students. Concerning LM and HEIs partnerships, it is found that understanding the demands of the LM by the HEIs can enhance the graduates’ outcomes and their prospects in the LM.
Research limitations/implications
The study argues that the graduate employability is still relevant to the existing practice, but further engagement and research surrounding how the HEIs in the developing countries, especially Nigeria, can meet the actual demands of the LM in terms of competent graduates are needed to examine this range of HE.
Originality/value
The study provides significant suggestions on the improvement needs of the HE teachers to inspire and motivate students to increase the knowledge (know-how), skills (how to do), self-efficacy (effectiveness) and qualities (technical and creative knowledge) required by the LM.