T O Alabi’s scientific contributions

This paper assessed the perception of physics teachers on how the Bloom taxonomy of cognitive domain enhances the quality of test items in Minna Metropolis, Niger State. Fifty-three Physics teachers were selected through simple random sampling technique across twenty Public Secondary Schools and nineteen Private Secondary Schools in Minna metropolis area of Niger state. The instrument used for data collection was a four likert scale Questionnaire. A reliability coefficient of 0.86 was obtained, using Pearson product moment correlation formula. Three research questions were raised and three null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Mean, standard deviation, ANOVA and t-test were used to analyze the data collected. The findings showed that Secondary school Physics teachers perceived Bloom taxonomy of cognitive domain is good and ethical for educational assessment. It was then recommended that the use of test blue print should be promoted by teachers, curriculum planners and the government since it enhances content validity of test items.

Student's performances in basic technology over the years have been declining. The reasons for this have been attributed to lack of basic teaching and learning equipment and inefficient instructional media. The use of technology in education has been adjudged as a veritable tool in returning the lost glory. This study assesses the use of MOODLE-based Co and Self-regulated learning strategies on the achievement and retention of basic science and technology (BST) among secondary school's students in Minna Metropolis. Three secondary schools were purposively selected for the study, the quasi-experimental design which include a pretest, Posttest, non-randomized, non-equivalent and control groups was used for the study. 123 students were used from intact class were used for the study which consisted of 52 male and 71 female. The Basic Science and Technology Achievement Test (BSTAT) was used for pretest, post-test and retention test. The results of the study revealed that that there is no significant difference in the achievement of students' in Co and self-regulated learning. Also, the study revealed that male and female BST students taught using CRL benefited from the treatment irrespective of their gender. The study therefore recommends that MOODLE individualize learning strategy should be used for classroom instruction in the day-today teaching of BST and BST students should be exposed to the use of individualized learning strategies in order to improve their achievement. Introduction The world is developing scientifically and technologically in every sphere of human endeavour therefore; Nigeria should thrive to join this technological train. Despite all the efforts made by the government to promote technology education in Nigeria, the problems of teaching and learning basic technology still persist. Odu (2013) identified factors responsible for this to include; lack of good and well equipped laboratories, well trained BST teachers, and non-compliance with the norms of the teaching of the subjects. Offorma and Obiefuna, (2016) stated that lack of finance to execute projects, shortage of manpower, lack of facilities and lack of policy itself contribute to poor performance in Basic Technology in secondary schools. Basic science and technology which was previously known as introductory technology and which was later change to basic technology is a core subject offered at the basic level in Nigerian educational systems. Adeyemi and Adeyegbe (1993) stated that even though a number of introductory technology curriculum reforms were inquiry-based and problem-solving in style, research findings have continued to show that teaching and learning in basic technology remain problematic. Although the government took a giant step by establishing Scientific Equipment Development Institutes, such institutes have been underfunded. Also, inadequate or poorly prepared BST teachers and their non-scientific approach to BST teaching are among militating factors against basic

This study was carried out to examine the novelty, interactive and user-friendly features of virtual laboratory package meant for conducting selected Nigerian secondary school physics experiments. Descriptive survey research was adopted and three research questions guided the study. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select 57 respondents (comprising 22 instructional design experts & 35 computer experts) who assessed the package in terms of the aforementioned features using questionnaire. The questionnaire was subjected to validation and reliability checks prior to usage for data collection. Data gathered were analyzed using Mean and Standard deviation. Findings revealed that experts considered the package novel and user-friendly but not interactive. Based on these findings, it was recommended that awareness on novel learning technologies should be created in schools, and that, developers should ensure learning packages possess interactive features that will enhance communication and improve their chances of being selected and utilized in teaching and learning process.

Secondary school physics students in Minna, Nigeria perceive physics to be a difficult subject probably because physics teachers have not been using appropriate resources in the teaching of abstract physics concepts. This study was therefore carried out to determine the effectiveness of locally constructed amplifier and physics students’ motivation towards learning energy concept when taught using the constructed amplifier. The research was an experimental research adopting a pretest, posttest experimental and control groups design. Three research questions were raised and one hypothesis was tested. Thirty secondary school one (SSI) physics students from two government-owned schools in Minna metropolis were randomly sampled for the study and assigned to experimental and control groups. Students in the experimental group were taught energy concept using the constructed amplifier while students in the control group learnt the concept using conventional lecture method. Physics Achievement Test (PAT) and Physics Students’ Motivational Questionnaire (PSMQ) were used for data collection. PAT consisted of 10 multiple choice objective question items on the concept of energy while PSMQ consisted of 15 items using a four point Likert Rating Scale. Both PAT and PSMQ were validated by experts and the reliability of a pilot study carried out yielded 0.87 for PAT using KR-21 formula and 0.89 for PSMQ using Cronbach Alpha’s formula. Data collected from the administration of the research instruments were analyzed using percentage and t-test statistics in SPSS 16.0 version. Findings revealed that there was significant difference between the mean achievement scores of students in the two groups (t (58)=1.465, p<0.05) in favour of the group taught using the constructed amplifier. Also, 86.44% of the responses to the questionnaire revealed that students had positive motivation towards learning energy concept using the constructed amplifier. Based on these findings, it was recommended that physics teachers should encourage the use of locally constructed resources in the absence of commercial ones in order to facilitate students’ understanding of physics and positively motivate them towards learning abstract physics concepts.