Assessment of Test Items Development Skills of Secondary School Mathematics Teachers in Delta State, Nigeria

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The importance of test development skills in Mathematics can never be over emphasized because of the nature and place of the subject, and for its role in determining learners’ progress. This research is intended to assess the test development skills of the mathematics teachers in secondary schools in Delta State of Nigeria. The aim of the study was to determine the test development skills possessed by Secondary School Mathematics Teachers and the extent to which the teacher is competent in writing, analysis and validation of test items. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design, with population consisting of about 500 trained mathematics teachers in Government owned senior secondary schools in Delta State. A simple random sample of 106 Mathematics teachers was drawn from the population A four-scale self-constructed instrument was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts in educational tests and measurements and Cronbach Alpha technique was used to obtain a reliability coefficient of 0.83. Results showed that the item development skills possessed by secondary school Mathematics teachers in Delta State are test item printing and administration with a mean score of 3.09, item marking and scoring with a mean score of 2.89, item composition and drafting (2.86), item planning (2.74) and item writing (2.73). The results further showed that the teachers were poorly skilled in item analysis and item validation. Amongst others, the study recommended regular in-service training seminars and workshops on test development skills as well as robust follow-up monitoring and evaluation mechanism that will assess the extent of application of test development skills.

Library Service Quality and Student Satisfaction: Among Junior High School Students in A Private Basic Education Institution

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This study investigates junior high school students’ satisfaction with the library’s service quality at a private institution and whether demographic factors influence their satisfaction with the services provided. The data showed that the students had high levels (M = 3.56) of overall satisfaction with the library’s service quality (Composite M = 3.53) and that students rated the library as being quiet and conducive to studying (M = 3.66), which were the two highest-rated areas of library service quality. On the other side, computer units and internet access had the lowest level of library service quality according to students’ ratings (M = 3.37). Also, a statistical analysis using the Kruskal-Wallis test found no differences in perceived library service quality (r = 3.41, p = 0.332) or student satisfaction (r = 7.47, p = 0.058) across grade levels. Therefore, it appears that students at the junior high level receive similar levels of library services regardless of grade. There was a strong positive correlation between perceived library service quality and student satisfaction (r = 0.850, p < 0.001), suggesting that as the library’s service quality improves, the level of student satisfaction will increase. Beyond digital infrastructure limitations as an impediment to student success, physical characteristics (e.g., atmosphere), hours of operation, and interpersonal relationships with library staff all contribute significantly to a student’s level of satisfaction. The researchers suggest that library managers create a more diverse digital infrastructure, ensure proper maintenance of existing computers, and increase their subscriptions to electronic resources so that traditional libraries can begin to operate as full digital learning ecosystems with active, living spaces.

Competency-Based Performance Level for Full Intervention Grade 1 Pupils: Basis for Development of a Contextualized Learning Materials

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This study determined the competency-based performance level of full intervention Grade 1 pupils in literacy and numeracy as a basis for the development of contextualized learning materials in selected public elementary schools in Bulan, Sorsogon, during the school year 2023–2024. Specifically, the study identified the least-mastered competencies of pupils and developed validated contextualized intervention materials responsive to their learning needs. The study employed a descriptive-developmental research design utilizing a pre-test approach and the 4D model consisting of Define, Design, Develop, and Disseminate. The respondents included 230 full intervention Grade 1 pupils and four master teachers who served as validators of the developed materials. Data were analyzed using frequency count, percentage, and weighted mean. Findings revealed that the least-mastered competencies in numeracy were learning place value, learning addition and subtraction, and counting forward and backward. In literacy, the least-mastered competencies were attaining reading comprehension, determining the first and last sound, and learning phoneme analysis. Based on these findings, contextualized literacy and numeracy learning materials were developed to address the identified competency gaps among the pupils. Validation results showed that the developed materials were rated as very evident in terms of mechanics, content, format, organization, and accuracy. The study concluded that competency-based and contextualized learning materials are essential for addressing the foundational learning needs of full intervention Grade 1 pupils.

Experiences of Non-Reading Teachers: A Case Study

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Academic performance depends heavily on reading ability; however, a sizable number of young learners still face challenges in reading development even after teachers try to work on their basic literacy skills. This paper investigated the practices of teachers who are not specialized in reading as they deliver remedial reading lessons, generated a Guided Reading Program, and assessed its effectiveness. To gain a thorough knowledge of the setting, the qualitative case study method was selected, and interviews, observations, and document analysis were used as data gathering techniques. The results showed that around 80% of the teachers had no formal training in reading instruction, but they exhibited a lot of dedication and determination to help the learners overcome their reading problems. Besides limited teaching resources and a lack of sufficient training, teachers also pointed to low reading skills of learners as some of the issues preventing smooth instructional delivery; nevertheless, they recognized the great joy that came with helping struggling readers. The findings also pointed out that quite a lot of students had such great difficulties with reading that it really was a stumbling block for their academic progress, and these facts were brought out by the study of their reading behavior and analysis of different data sets. The introduction of the Guided Reading Program brought about desirable changes as reflected by learners’ enhanced results on the tests that were conducted before and after the training. Based on the research, the authors are of the opinion that if we want to solve the problem of literacy in a more effective way, then the reading intervention has to be done through a well-organized and directed method.

Impact of Transformational Leadership on Teachers’ Job Performance in Delta State

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The study assessed Impact of Transformational Leadership on Teachers’ Job Performance in Secondary Schools in Delta State, Nigeria. It adopted the descriptive survey design and was guided with 3 research questions and 3 hypotheses. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 493 principals and 4280 teachers representing 30% of the population (14,762). A 52-item questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was structured on a 4-point scale: Very high Extent (VHE) – 4 points, High Extent (HE) – 3 points, Low Extent (LE) – 2 points, Very Low Extent (VLE) – 1 point. The face and content validity of the instrument was ascertained and to ensure internal consistency, 30 copies of the questionnaire were administered to one principal and 29 teachers at Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Tungbo, Bayelsa State which was not part of the area of study. The data collected were subjected to Cronbach Alpha which yielded the following reliability co-efficient results: 1. r = 0.76, 2. r = 0.70, 3. r = 0.68 with whole reliability r = 0.98. A total of 4773 copies of the questionnaire were administered and a total of 4476 were fully completed and returned, indicating 93.78% return rate. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviations. T- test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that transformational leadership qualities and impact are to a high extent in the schools and this has also impacted on teachers’ job performance. It was recommended that school authorities should consistently encourage delegation of responsibilities and involvement of teachers and other subordinates in decision making to enable others contribute to the success of the organization.