The Challenges of HIV/AIDS Counselling in Nigerian Secondary Schools: A Case Study of Kwara State

The study investigated the challenges of HIV/AIDS counselling in Nigerian secondary schools as expressed by school counsellors in Kwara state, Nigeria. The respondents comprised 132 purposively selected counsellors in Kwara state public secondary schools (Male=85; Female=47). Data were collected with the use of a survey instrument and the data were quantitatively analyzed. The study identified the challenges hindering effective implementation of HIV/AIDS counselling in Nigerian secondary schools as ignorance, non-existence of governmental policy on HIV/AIDS counselling in schools and negative attitudes of school administrators, students and teachers to HIV/AIDS. Geographical location and job status had significant influence on the respondents' views of the challenges facing HIV/AIDS counselling in Nigerian secondary schools. The Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON) should enlighten Nigerians on the importance of HIV/AIDS counselling in schools.     

Can infrastructure improvements mitigate unsafe traffic safety culture: A driving simulator study exploring cross cultural differences

This paper presents the results of a cross-cultural study to investigate the influence of traffic safety culture and infrastructure improvements on driver behaviour. To achieve this, the driving style of UK drivers was compared with that of Nigerians with and without experience of driving in the UK. A driving simulator experiment compared the actual driving style of these three groups of drivers in different safety critical scenarios. The simulated road environment varied depending on how much infrastructure was provided (low or high infrastructure). In addition, the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire was used to collect self-reported data on violations, errors and lapses. It was hypothesised that Nigerian drivers with no experience of driving in a UK road system would report and engage in more unsafe driving behaviour compared to the other two groups, and that increasing infrastructure would have little positive benefit. Overall, the results supported these hypotheses, indicating that the behaviours of drivers are interpretable in relation to their traffic safety culture, compared to changes in their driving environment.     

Pre-retirement anxiety: Development and validation of a measurement instrument in a Nigerian sample

Two studies were conducted to develop and provide evidence supporting the construct validity and internal consistency of scores from the Nigerian Pre-retirement Anxiety Scale (NPAS). The measure comprises three dimensions: financial preparedness, social obligation, and social alienation. In the first study, data collected from 424 civil servants supported the proposed dimensionality of scale scores and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha for the full scale = 0. 83). In the second study, data collected from a total sample of 216 employees who were also civil servants from different government agencies likewise supported the internal consistency of scores from the NPAS (Cronbach alpha for the full scale = 0.73), as well as validity. Scores from the NPAS appear to have evidence for research purposes.     

Academic self-confidence effects on test anxiety among Nigerian university students

The study investigated academic self-confidence effects on test anxiety indicators of performance impairment and intrusive worry. Respondents were 206 Nigerian undergraduate students (mean age = 20.29, SD = 2. 22; female = 43.2%). The students took the Westside Test Anxiety Scale (Driscoll, 2004) and the Academic Self-confidence Scale (Jones, 2001). Data were analysed to predict performance impairment and intrusive worry from academic self-confidence, taking into account students’ year of study and gender. Results suggest that academic self-confidence influenced both performance impairment and intrusive worry dimensions of test anxiety. Students who were high in academic self-confidence reported lower performance impairment or intrusive worry. Also, first year students reported higher intrusive worry than those in second, third, or fourth year of study. High manifestation of academic self-confidence is an asset for coping with test anxiety.     

Democracy in a Multireligious and Cultural Setting: The Nigerian Context

Nigeria is indeed a typical pluralistic society with innumerable differences in culture, ethnicity, tribe, religion, and class. Yet there exists in Nigeria certain dominant cultures, ethnic nationalities, religions, and classes. In some parts of the country the influence of a dominant culture or ethnic group is more pronounced than in others. This paper is therefore an attempt to look into our pluralism and see how it can enhance the development and promotion of democracy in the country. This paper will address this topic by considering a working definition of democracy and how it is understood and applied in Nigeria; the ethnoreligious politics in Nigeria; postmodernism, democracy, and pluralism in Nigerian society; and the role of religious leaders in the survival of democracy in Nigeria.     

Psychological contract breach and workplace deviance: Does emotional intelligence matter?

This study investigated the influence of emotional intelligence on the relationship between psychological contract breach and workplace deviance with feelings of violation. The participants were 232 employees of a Nigerian public sector organisation (125 males and 107 females). The employees completed measures of workplace deviance, psychological contract breach, feelings of violation, and emotional intelligence. Results of the moderated hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that psychological contract breach was positively related to feelings of violation and workplace deviance. Emotional intelligence significantly buffered the negative effect of psychological contract breach on feelings of violation and workplace deviance. This implies that emotionally intelligent employees who perceived contract breach are less likely to experience feelings of violation and engage in workplace deviance. Emotional regulation appears to reliably moderate between breach-outcome relationships.     

Disclosing Academic Dishonesty: Perspectives From Nigerian and New Zealand Health Professional Students

Few cross-national studies have been conducted on academic dishonesty. The aim of this study was to explore students’ disclosed levels of academic dishonesty between New Zealand and Nigeria. The measures obtained included incidence, acceptability, and justification of dishonest action. It was hypothesized that there would be differences between the two groups and that differences could be explained in terms of deontology, cultural relativism, utilitarianism, rational fair exchange, and/or response bias. There were 844 medical and health science students who participated in the study and completed a questionnaire that explored incidence, acceptability, and justification of dishonest action. A binary logistic regression revealed that age and incidence were significant predictors of country allocation. Nigerian students reported more engagement in dishonest behaviors, and it is argued that these students have diverse cultural expectations, language variances, response strategies, norms, beliefs, and values. Educational interventions are essential to address concerns related to academic dishonesty such as promoting cross-cultural discourse, providing study skills programs, utilizing peer mentoring, creating formal exchange strategies, and endorsing honor codes.     

Assessing the vocational maturity of students in the East Central State of Nigeria

This study surveyed the vocational developmental pattern of Nigerian students using the Career Maturity Inventory (Crites). The results and their applicability to the Nigerian situation were discussed.     

HIV/AIDS Awareness of In—School Adolescents in Nigeria: Implications for Adolescence Sexuality

This study investigated HIV/AIDS awareness of in-school adolescents in Nigeria to determine their risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. A total of 892 purposively selected adolescents (mean age = 16. 5 years; SD = 5. 2; males = 492; females = 400) participated in the study. The participants responded to the HIV/AIDS Awareness Inventory (HAAI). The questions on the survey included the following aspects: meaning of HIV/AIDS; prevalence; mode of transmission; consequences and prevention. Differences in gender, age, school location and father's educational background in understanding HIV risk were examined. A group means comparison procedure revealed a significant difference in HIV awareness by gender, age, school location and father's educational background. Female adolescents, the older adolescents, those living in urban centres and those whose fathers are literate had higher HIV/AIDS awareness than their counterparts from rural areas. Nigerian adolescents need education regarding HIV/AIDS awareness.