The problem of this study concerned the needs of business students and their perceptions of effectiveness with respect to their satisfaction at two universities. A related purpose was to measure, evaluate, and analyze students' needs and perceptions of the effectiveness of their universities with respect to their level of education.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between affective factors and the academic achievement of students at the University of Venda. Self-concept, motivation and attitude are affective factors selected for the study. The general aim of the study is to determine the role of self-concept, motivation and attitude in students' academic achievement and ultimately come up with some recommendations for enhancing these factors. The theoretical investigation indicates that there is a relationship between students' self-concepts, motivation, attitude, and academic achievement. Similarly, the empirical investigation has revealed that there is a significant correlation between self-concept, motivation, and academic achievement of students. It was, for example, found that female students are significantly more motivated than their male counterparts. It is therefore essential that educationists should understand the differences in motivational orientations of their students in order to facilitate effective learning. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.(Specialization in Education Psychology))

A carefully constructed set of 16 graphical tasks related to key biochemistry concepts was designed and administered to a group of 82 students in their final year of B.Sc. study. The test mean score of 48,3% ( 12,1) was low and characterised by gender and ethnic differences. There was a moderate linear relationship between biochemistry grades obtained by the students over two years of study and their graphical literacy (r = 0,433). The majority of the students exhibited slope/height confusion and only seven students (8,5%) were able to answer the two items corresponding to Kimura‘s Level F, the most complex and difficult level of graphical literacy. Eye tracking data gave valuable insights into different strategies used by students while interpreting graphs and is a valuable tool for assessing graphical literacy. These findings confirmed other studies where researchers have found a widespread lack of graph comprehension among biological science students. / Institute of Science and Technology Education / M. Sc. (Science Education)

The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding HIV and AIDS of university in Zimbabwe using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as the theoretical framework. The ultimate aim was to find out how at risk university students were of contracting HIV and AIDS. A quantitative, non-experimental descriptive, explorative and correlational research design was used, using self-designed questionnaires for data collection. Respondents were sampled through systemic stratified random sampling resulting in 403 undergraduate university students. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS version 21 software program. Most students were knowledgeable about HIV transmission; the prevention of HIV and AIDS and sexual risk behaviours pertaining to HIV transmission. Students also did show positive attitudes towards PLHIV. Most students did not perceive themselves to be at high of contracting HIV and AIDS. Up to 52% who were sexually active had more than one sexual partner. The respondents knew that HIV and AIDS were not treatable but continued to indulge in risky sexual behaviours. Most respondents received information about HIV and AIDS from the media and peers. The findings would assist policy makers, programme planners and educators in developing in developing and implementing programmes to improve the health of university students. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The purpose of this study was to investigate physics undergraduate students’ conceptual change in the concepts of electric potential and energy (EPE) and electromagnetic induction (EMI). Along with this, categorization of students’ conceptions was done based on students’ epistemological and ontological descriptions of these concepts. In addition, the effect of cognitive perturbation using physics interactive simulations (CPS) in relation to cognitive conflict using physics interactive simulations (CCS) was investigated. A pragmatic mixed methods approach was used in a quasi-experimental design. Data were collected by using the modified Diagnostic Exam of Electricity and Magnetism (DEEM), focus group discussions (FGD) and concept maps (CM). Framework analysis was conducted separately on FGD and CM qualitative data to categorize students’ conceptions while concentration analysis was used to categorize students’ responses to the modified DEEM into three levels, during pre and post intervention. In the qualitative results, six categories of alternative conceptions (naive physics, lateral alternative conceptions, ontological alternative conceptions, Ohm’s P-Primes/ P-Primes, mixed conceptions and loose ideas) and two categories of conceptual knowledge (hierarchical and relational) were identified. The alternative conceptions were less frequently and inconsistently revealed within and across the categories. It was concluded that the categories have common characteristics of diversified distribution of alternative conceptions and multiple alternative conceptions of specific concepts within and across the categories. Most of the categories found in pre intervention persisted in post intervention, but with a lesser percentage extensiveness of categories of alternative conceptions in the CPS than in the CCS class and more percentage extensiveness of categories of conceptual knowledge in the CPS than in the CCS class. ANCOVA was separately conducted on the scores of 45 students on the modified DEEM and CM tests to compare the effectiveness of the CCS and CPS. The results showed a significant difference between the two classes of the post test scores on the DEEM test, (1, 36) = 4.66, p=0.04 and similarly, on the CM test, (1, 31) = 8.33, p=0.007. Consequently, it was concluded that there is a statistically significant difference between CPS and CCS in changing students’ alternative conceptions towards scientific conceptions favoring CPS. To characterize and compare students’ conceptual change of both treatment classes, Hake’s average normalized gain <g> from pre to post scores (the modified DEEM and the CM) were analyzed. Finally, it is suggested that in abstract conceptual areas of EM, cognitive perturbation through interactive simulations is more effective than cognitive conflict through interactive simulations in facilitating conceptual change, and, thus, should guide classroom instruction in the area. Furthermore, recommendations are also suggested for guiding future research in this area. / Science and Technology Education / D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (Physics Education))

The researcher investigated internet usage among students at the University of Nairobi using a quantitative case study method. A questionnaire-based survey was done among 381 students and face-to-face interviews were conducted with the university‟s library staff. The research findings indicate that the students' level of awareness about the internet services offered at the university was high. The students had good basic computer and internet skills; however, they lacked more advanced skills and this negatively affected their use of internet resources. The students used the internet for various purposes, including to study, teach and do research; to communicate; and for social interaction. The major recommendations of the study include providing formal internet training and adequate facilities; implementing a better, inclusive policy on internet use; and better co-ordinated university efforts. Free internet access should be made available to all the university students, if not all members of the university community. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

Cette thèse s’inscrit au sein de la recherche sur l’analyse d’erreurs en espagnol langue seconde et dans une démarche d’enseignement de la langue à des apprenants non natifs dans le cadre universitaire français. A partir d’un corpus de données écrites centrées sur des productions dirigées en espagnol d’étudiants francophones spécialistes de l’université française, nous avons entrepris un travail d’analyse des erreurs des catégories grammaticales de l’espagnol pour en créer des types. En nous focalisant sur les typologies des erreurs lexico-orthographiques, lexico-sémantiques, lexico-syntaxiques et lexico-morphologiques, cette analyse a débouché sur un travail d’étiologie basé sur les erreurs d’interférence et de transfert négatif des langues connues de nos informateurs, erreurs les plus fréquentes. En vue d’une remédiation de ces erreurs pour le développement de la compétence linguistique voire plurilingue des apprenants, nous proposons des pistes didactiques tenant compte des objectifs et des compétences requises afin qu’ils acquièrent le niveau B1 du CECRL. / This work is about error analysis in Spanish as a second language and is aimed at improving language teaching to non-native learners in the French university system. Based on the study of a corpus of supervised written productions in Spanish from French-speaking specialist students in French universities, we analysed grammatical errors in Spanish in order to create an original typology. By focusing on the lexicon and the spelling, the lexicon and the semantics as well as lexical and morphological typologies of errors, this analysis allowed us to produce a work of etiology, mostly based on the errors of interference and negative transfer caused by the foreign languages already known to our students. So as to help the students deal with these errors and help them improve at their linguistic – and also multilingual – competences, we made didactic suggestions taking into account the goals and skills expected from students necessary to reach the B1 level of CECRL. / Esta tesis se inscribe en el seno de la investigación sobre el análisis de errores en español lengua segunda y en un enfoque de enseñanza de la lengua a aprendices no nativos en el marco universitario francés. A partir de un corpus de datos escritos centrados en producciones dirigidas en español de estudiantes francófonos especialistas de la universidad francesa, hemos iniciado un trabajo de análisis de los errores de las categorías gramaticales del español para crear diferentes tipos de ellas. Con el foco puesto en las tipologías de los errores léxico-ortográficos, léxico-semánticos, léxico-sintácticos y léxico-morfológicos, este análisis ha llevado a un trabajo de etiología basado en los errores de interferencia y transferencia negativa de las lenguas conocidas por nuestros informantes, errores más frecuentes. Con miras a una remediación de estos errores para lograr el desarrollo de la competencia linguística incluso plurilingüe de los aprendices, proponemos pistas didácticas teniendo en cuenta los objetivos y las competencias requeridas para que éstos adquieran el nivel B1 del CECRL.

The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of access to and use of library electronic resources and their implications on remote users at the National Open University of Nigeria. Specific objectives were formulated to: find out the different types of electronic resources available in the NOUN Library; investigate academic staffs’ and students’ level of awareness of electronic resources available in the NOUN library; explore the various types of electronic resources used by academic staffs and students of NOUN; find out how academic staffs and students access and use electronic resources in NOUN library; analyze the policies that enable access to and use of electronic resources by academic staffs and students at NOUN; find out the perceptions and attitudes of academic staffs and students toward the electronic resources available in the NOUN library; and identify the challenges associated with access to and use of electronic resources by the academic staffs and students of NOUN. The study adopted a quantitative research approach and survey research method was employed. The study targeted 1,680 population samples of which include 1,513 Students, 140 Academic staffs, and 27 Academic Librarians. Probability (Stratified random and systematic) sampling and nonprobability (purposive) sampling methods were adopted. Two sample frames were used: Students - classified into subgroups (Level) in each selected study centers and Academic staff - classified into subgroups (academic staff/academic librarian). Online (Google form) self-administered closed-ended questionnaire was sent to participants’ email. Data collected were analyzed through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). This finding revealed that electronic journals and electronic books are readily available in the NOUN library. Academic staff most likely, interact with the library staff or visit the library to be aware of library electronic resources, however, the students struggled to be aware through personal efforts. NOUN library creates awareness through the email and notice boards. The academic staff and students access and use the library electronic resources for various multidimensional purposes, however, there is a low patronage of these electronic resources by academic staff and students as less than 40% of academic staff and students access and use the library electronic resources. Electricity outage, low internet connectivity speed and high cost of access to internet were presented as challenges encountered while accessing and using electronic resources. Recommendations: the library management should develop awareness programmes that is appropriate for an ODL university community through the use of modern communication tools, and emphasy should be on the use of electronic resources in the university curriculum. / Information Science

大學生是一群熱切使用媒體和科技的世界公民，他們特別會透過新媒體接觸來自整個地球村的大量資訊。大學生可以透過學校課程與活動、與國際學生社群互動以及到國外旅行都是其中的管道。本研究援引社會建構理論與涵化理論，以質性研究探討台灣大學生的人口變項、與非洲接觸行為、西方媒體使用、世界主義意識以及媒體呈現偏誤之察覺與台灣大學生對非洲刻板印象建構之間的關係。 線上問卷收集共215位台灣大學生有效樣本。研究顯示非洲接觸行為與媒體呈現偏誤之察覺，皆與刻板印象認同呈現正相關。 / University students are some of the more cosmopolitan groups in society, as voracious consumers of media and technology, especially new media, and exposed to a plethora of information about the global community. University courses, interaction with the international student communities, events on-campus and opportunities to travel abroad are some of the avenues available to them. Using quantitative analysis, this study examined the relationships between demographic and contact variables, Western media exposure, cosmopolitanism and perceived bias of media portrayals and its effect on Taiwanese university students’ endorsement of stereotypes of Africa. The research framework is informed by the theory of social construction of reality and the cultivation theory. Using an online survey, data was collected and analyzed from a sample of 215 Taiwanese university students. The analysis reveals that contact with Africa and perceived bias of media portrayals have the most significant influence on stereotype endorsement.

In South Africa, the linguistic hegemony of English over the African languages in the academic field reproduces unequal power relationships between their speakers. The present study shows that an intervention shaped by a counterhegemonic ideology can change the attitudes of Black university students, key players in spearheading social change. Usign statistical analysis and survey methodologies, this research explored the hegemonic role of English as the only language of learning and teaching (LoLT) in the discipline of Computer Science (CS) at Rhodes University. The study found that those speakers of an African language who are the most disadvantaged by the use of English as LoLT are also the most likely to resist a more extensive use of their mother tongue as an alternative. A group of such students were involved in the development and use of an online glossary of CS terms translated, explained and exemplified in an African language (isiXhosa). This experience increased the support for the use of African languages as additional LoLT, even in the Englishdominated field of study of Computer Science. This is an initial step towards promoting linguistic equality between English and African languages and social equality between their speakers.