The Impact of Industrial Action (ASUU Strike) on Academic Performance of University Students
Chapter One
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The general objective of the study is to examine influence of industrial actions on the academic performance of students in Ekiti State University EKSU. Specific objectives are:
- To examine the perception of an average university student on industrial action by Labour unions in the university including Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
- To determine whether industrial action by the staffs of the universities has influence on the reading habits of students during the disruption in academic activities period.
- To assess the extent to which disruption in academic program in Universities influence students’ learning effectiveness.
- To determine whether Industrial Actions by Lecturers significantly contribute to low CGPA of students.
- To examine whether industrial actions have direct influence on students’ overall academic performance.
- To determine whether industrial actions motivate students to learn.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
This chapter gives an insight into various studies conducted by outstanding researchers, as well as explained terminologies with regards to the Influence of Industrial Actions on Academic Performance of Students.
The chapter also gives a resume of the history and present status of the problem delineated by a concise review of previous studies into closely related problems.
REVIEW OF RELATED CONCEPTS AND VARIABLES
This section reviews various concepts and terminologies related to the study as well as a critical definition of both the dependent and independent variables used for the purpose of the study.
Academic Performance
Students’ learning can be evaluated in many different ways, but in a developing country like Nigeria where about 40 percent of the adult population are illiterate, parents use the performance of their children in public examinations to pass judgement on the schools and teachers. To them, the logic is a simple one. The schools are supposed to be staffed by good teachers and supplied adequate facilities and instrumental materials. It is the responsibility of government to ensure through such provisions and regular inspection or supervision that effective teaching and learning go on in the schools. The task of parents is to send children to school and pay whatever fees and levies are charged by the institutions. Though many parents acknowledge shortages of funds, teachers and infrastructures in the schools and their own inability to buy all
the required books and other learning materials for their wards, yet they strongly believe that if the students perform badly in their examinations, the teachers and administrators have not done their job well and should take most of the blame.
Unfortunately, there are many factors that help to determine the academic performance of students. However, the level of education and awareness of many parents does not enable them to participate in such complex theoretical arguments or discussions. For such parents and the general public, the students’ performances in recent times give cause for ala-m and school authorities more than the students themselves are being accused of lack of dedication, declining productivity and even mindlessness. Nevertheless, the students have not been doing well, and the situation is not improving.
The Concept of Poor Academic Performance
Poor academic performance accord to Aremu (2000) is a performance that is adjudged by the examinee/testee and some other significant as falling below an expected standard. The interpretation of this expected or desired standard is better appreciated from the perpetual cognitive ability of the evaluator of the performance. The evaluator or assessor can therefore give different interpretations depending on some factors.
Bakare (2004) described poor academic performance as any performance that falls below a desired standard. The criteria of excellence can be from 40 to 100 depending on the subjective yardstick of the evaluator or assessor. For example, a 70% performance of University Students in an exam can judged to be an excellent performance and by all standard a very good performance. However, a cursory look at the performance and the individual examined and the standard of the examination he or she took could reveal that the performance is a very poor one. On the other hand, a Level 200 Accounting student’s performance of 37% in business mathematics can e said to be a poor performance. When in actual fact, the performance is by all standards a very good one. This shows that the concept of poor academic performance is very relative and this depends on so many intervening variables.
Factors That Affect Academic Performance of Students
A number of studies have been carried out to identify and analyse the numerous factors that affect academic performance in various centres of learning. Their findings identify students’ effort, previous schooling (Siegfried & Fels, 1979; Anderson & Benjamin, 1994), parents’ education, family income (Devadoss & Foltz, 1996), self motivation, age of student, learning preferences (Aripin, Mahmood, Rohaizad, Yeop, & Anuar, 2008), class attendance (Romer, 1993), and entry qualifications as factors that have a significant effect on the students’ academic performance in various settings. The utility of these studies lies in the need to undertake corrective measures that improve the academic performance of students, especially in public funded institutions. The throughput of public-funded institutions is under scrutiny especially because of the current global economic downturn which demands that governments improve efficiency in financial resource allocation and utilization.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the design and methodology employed by the researcher for the purpose of conducting the research. The procedure for data collection and the relevant data used to address the research hypothesis.
RESEARCH DESIGN
According to Kerlinger (1986), research design is the plan, structure and strategy of investigation conceived so as to obtain answers to research questions and to control variance. Thus, the research design that was adopted in this study was the Descriptive design. The adoption of this design was informed because the study involved the collection of data to accurately and objectively describe existing phenomena and determining the nature of a situation as it exists at the time of investigation population under investigation.
Furthermore, the decision to use the descriptive design was supported by Kerlinger (1986) who stated that descriptive research is probably best adopted to obtain personal facts, beliefs and attitudes. He remarked that the descriptive design has the advantage of covering a wider scope and at the same time economical. The design therefore was considered appropriate for the study on the influence of industrial actions on the academic performance of students in Ekiti State University EKSU.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY AND METHOD OF POPULATION DETERMINATION
The study was conducted in Ekiti State University (EKSU) formerly known as University of Ado Ekiti (UNAD). The institution was established in March 30, 1982 by the administration of late Chief Micheal Adekunle Ajasin, the first civilian governor of Ondo State. It is located about twelve minutes drive from the centre of the city of Ado Ekiti in Ekiti State. Ekiti State university as it is known today, was at inception in 1982 known as Obafemi Awolowo University (O.A.U) and it prides itself as the only university in Nigeria that has within a quarter of a century had its name changed four times. The name was changed to Ondo State University in 1985 and to University of Ado Ekiti (UNAD) in November 1999 and to its present name Ekiti State University (EKSU) in September 2011. Since Ekiti State University also joins other universities in the Strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), it is then eligible to be made the study location, particularly as a case study; therefore, the students of the university are the subject matter of this study.
The population of this study includes the students of Ekiti State University (EKSU), comprising the 300 level and 400 level students, they are chosen because of their experience of ASUU strike during the course of their studies, and their perspective was therefore used for analysis in this research.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter deals mainly with presentation and analysis of research findings through the data collected from the questionnaire. It reveals the results, the hypothesis tested and its interpretation were also considered. The data collected was be analyzed statistically by applying the appropriate statistical formula.
CHAPTER FIVE
RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
This research work studied the influence of industrial actions on the academic performance of students in Ekiti State University (EKSU) Ado- Ekiti. As it has been observed, the desire of every university student is to complete his or her study without any hitch, but as it turns out in contemporary Nigeria, ASUU strikes have placed limitations on this aspiration, apart from the fact that the strikes elongate the study duration of university students, the performance of students in academic activities are hampered, so much so that good and brilliant students end up graduating with poor grades.
Government education polices and the associated inactions and the strike embarked upon by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have contributed to the poor academic performance of the university students in Nigeria. The avoidable conflict between the government and ASUU must not be allowed to jeopardize the academics and future of Nigerian students. Education in Nigeria must be given its pride of place; the government must strive hard to meet the United Nation’s minimum standard. Nigerian Universities cannot be locked up permanently and think ASUU and government will move about comfortably.
RECOMMENDATION
From the result of the analysis and the conclusion made there-from, the following recommendations were made:
1) Measures should be put on ground by government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) etc to check incessant industrial action in the educational system.
2) Academic staffs of Universities should ensure that a cordial relationship exists between them and their students.
REFERENCES
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- Aremu, O. A & Sokan, B. O. (2003). A multi-causal evaluation of academic performance of Nigerian Learners: Issues and Implications for National Development. Department of Guidance and Counseling, University of Ibadan, Ibadan
- Armstrong, M. (2006). A handbook of Human Resource Management
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- Aripin, R., Mahmood, Z., Rohaizad, R., Yeop, U., & Anuar, M.
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- Journal of Educational Theory and Practice 5 (3)70-75.
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