INNOVATIONS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN NIGERIA, Ebele C. Okigbo, Nneka R. Nnorom, Ernest O. Onwukwe [best reads .TXT] 📗

this study was to determine the influence of mentoring on the academic performance of biology students in Federal College of Education (Technical) (F.C.E. (T), Umunze.

Specifically, the study sought to determine the:

Influence of mentoring on academic performance of biology students in F.C.E. (T), Umunze.

Problems associated with mentoring of biology students.

Solutions to the problems associated with mentoring on the academic performance of biology students in F.C.E, (T), Umunze.

 

Research Questions

What is the influence of mentoring on the academic performance of biology students in Federal College of Education Technical (FCET), Umunze?

What are the problems associated with mentoring on academic performances of biology students in F.C.E, (T), Umunze?

What are the solutions to the problems associated with mentoring on the academic performance of biology students in F.C.E, (T), Umunze?

Hypothesis

There is no significant difference between the mean responses of male and female biology students on the problems associated with their mentoring in F.C.E, (T), Umunze.

Method

The study adopted descriptive survey research design. This study was carried out in Federal College of Education (T) Umunze, Anambra State. The population of the study comprised of 190 degree biology students in the college. The sample of the study consists of148 degree biology students. Purposive sampling technique was used to select only year I, II and IV degree students with the numbers 32, 57 and 59 respectively. This is because degree year III students were on teaching practice during the period of this study.

The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire on the influence of mentoring on the academic performance of biology students. The questionnaire consists of two sections A and B. Section A - contained the bio-data of the respondents while section B contained the items that elicit information from the respondents on the influence of mentoring on the academic performance of biology students. The instrument is a 4-point rating scale. The respondents were expected to indicate the degree of agreement or disagreement with the statement made.

The instrument was validated by three experts. Two experts from school of sciences and one expert from school of education both in Federal College of Education (T).Umunze. The corrections made were incorporated in the final copy to improve the quality of the instrument. A total of 148 copies of the questionnaires were administered by the researchers to 148 respondents. All the distributed copies were completed and collected immediately. The data collected were analysed using mean, standard deviation and t-test. Norminal values were assigned as thus; Strongly Agree (SA) = 4, Agree (A) = 3 points, Disagree (D) = 2 points and Strongly Disagree (SD) = l point

To arrive at a decision rule in the four point scale, the criterion mean of 2.50 was used. Any item receiving a mean score rating of 2.50 and above was agree while mean score rating below 2.50 was disagree. Also, for hypothesis testing accept Ho if t-cal< t-crit, otherwise reject Ho if t-cal>t-crit.

Results

Research question 1 :What is the influence of mentoring on the academic performance of biology students in Federal College of Education (T) Umunze?

Table 1: Mean and standard deviation of respondents on influences of mentoring on academic performance of biology students

 

S/N

Items

 

S.D

Decision

1

Mentoring influences attitudes of students which in turn have positive influences in their school activities.

3.53

0.25

Agreed

2

Mentoring improves health and emotional well-being of students and consequently has positive impact on their academic performance.

3.17

0.21

Agreed

 

3

Good mentoring is a motivational factor that helps students to seek out new experiences.

3.58

0.26

Agreed

 

4

Mentoring provides advice and encouragement which increases students’ academic confidence.

2.17

0.19

Agreed

5

Good mentoring develops the students’ communication skill needed in dealing with personal and academic issues

3.48

0.29

Agreed

6

Mentoring offers sense of direction and career motives to students

3.15

0.25

Agreed

7

Good mentoring helps the students to develop positive or good study habit

3.41

0.24

Agreed

8

Mentoring serves as a guide to student’s behavior enhancing their quick adaption to a new educational environment

3.18

0.22

Agreed

9

Counsels provided by mentors stimulate the student’s personal growth as they strive to work on their personal skill

3.25

0.22

Agreed

10

Mentoring enhances interpersonal relationship of students with parents, siblings and peers which offer a positive ground for academic excellent

2.99

0.22

Agreed

 

Grand mean and standard deviation

3.28

0.21

Agreed

 

Table1 reveals that the respondents agreed on all the items to have positive influence on students’ academic performance. All the items had mean greater than the cut-off point of 2.50. Thus the grand mean of 3.28 was agreed.

 

Research Question 2: What are the problems associated with mentoring on academic performance of biology students in F.C.E, (T), Umunze?

 

Table 2: Mean and standard deviation of male and female respondents on problems associated with mentoring on academic performance of biology students.

 

S/N

ITEM

Male

Female

 

 

 

SD  

 

SD

REMARK

11

A mentor with wrong perception of life values can divert the attention of the mentee from academic pursuit to irrelevances thus misplacement of priority.

3.19

0.66

3.25

0.25

Agreed

12

Some mentors sexually molest their mentee which consequently affects the students emotionally and academically.

3.38

0.70

3.42

0.25

Agreed

13

The absence or lack of a mentor to motivate the student when needed lowers the students self esteem0

2.56

0.56

3.05

0.26

Agreed

14

Bad mentoring affects the student attitude and behaviors which could lead to deviant act e.g clubbing, drug abuse, prostitution

2.94

0.77

3.12

0.22

Agreed

15

Some mentors use mentoring as avenue of extorting money from their mentees which mounts pressure on the students.

3.25

0.67

3.36

0.23

Agreed

16

Inappropriate time schedule for mentoring leads to the act of truancy

2.88

0.59

3.11

0.22

Agreed

17

Inadequate information on the need of mentorship

2.81

0.58

3.14

0.22

Agreed

18

Lack of information on the need for mentorship.

2.81

0.58

3.13

0.22

Agreed

19

Barriers created by meta-population induce distance between the mentor and mentee thereby limiting time of mentoring.  

2.75

0.57

3.17

0.23

Agreed

 

Grand mean and SD

2.95

0.63

3.19

0.23

Agreed

 

Table 2 shows that the male and female respondents agreed on all the items to be the problems associated with mentoring on academic performance.  The items had mean scores greater than the cut-off point. Thus the grand mean of 3.07 was agreed.

Research question 3: What are the solutions to the problems associated with mentoring on the academic performance of biology students in F.C.E, (T), Umunze?

 

 

 

 

Table 3: Mean and standard deviation of respondents on solutions to the problems associated with mentoring on the academic performance of biology students.

S/N

ITEMS

 

 SD

DECISION

20

The idea of planned and monitored mentoring should be imbibed by faculty heads of the institution to ensure that right life values are fostered in the mentee.

3.28

0.22

Agreed

21

The role of a mentor should be inculcated in both the mentor and the mentee in order to create the right perception of mentorship

3.41

0.24

Agreed

22

Mentorship should be organized in open and conducive environment to limit the chances of sexual molestation.

3.43

0.24

Agreed

23

Same sex mentoring should be encouraged in order to reduce the chances of sexual Agreed molestation.

3.22

0.22

Agreed

24

Mentors should be available to offer advice to mentee when needed.

3.57

0.25

Agreed

25

Only those with proven credibility in attitude should be chosen as mentors.

3.57

0,24

Agreed

26

There should be proper time schedule allocated for mentoring to minimize student’s absenteeism in classes.

3.39

0.24

Agreed

27

Creating awareness using conferences, seminars, workshops or other social gathering on the need of mentorship

3.40

0.24

Agreed

28

Textbook, brochures should be published on mentoring for proper dissemination of information concerning mentoring.

3.21

0.22

Agreed

 

Grand mean and  standard deviation

3.37

0.23

Agreed

 

Table 3 indicates that the respondents also agreed on all the items to be the solutions to the problems associated with mentoring on the academic performance. Thus, the grand mean was agreed with 3.37.

Testing for hypothesis using t-Test

Ho1: There is no significant difference between the mean response of male and female biology students on the problems associated with mentoring on their academic performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 4: t-Test analysis of male and female students mean responses on the problems associated with mentoring by the students in FCET  Umunze.

 

 

 

SD

N

Df

A

t-cal

t-crit

Decision

Male

2.95

0.63

16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

146

0.05

1.51

1.96

NS

Female

3.19

0.23

132

 

 

 

 

 

Table 4shows that t-cal (1.51) is less than the t-crit (1.96).  Thus, there is no significant difference between the mean responses of male and female biology students on the problems associated with their mentoring in the College.

Discussion

The findings of the study shows that mentoring has positive influence on the academic performance of students. The respondents agreed on all the items which means that mentoring influences the academic performance of biology students. They include: mentoring influences attitude of students positively, improving health and emotional well-being of students, serves as a motivational factors, providing advice, developing students’ communication skills, offering sense of direction, developing good study habit,  etc. This is in agreement with Tinto (2003), who state that student’s academic success intellectual and social development are greatest in those universities where students interact with both faculty and student peers, whether through formal or informal mentoring relationship in senior year high school in Canada. Also, the study is in line with Surn, etal (2010) who noted the Boston public school seniors in 2009 graduated and received coaching from the staff of the school throughout their first year of college found that students had 3.5% higher persistence rate than 2008 Boston graduates who did not receive such support.

The findings of the study also revealed that the respondents agreed on the problems of mentoring on academic performance of biology students such as: wrong perception of the mentor, sexual molestation from the mentor, absence of the mentor when needed, extortion of money from the mentee by the mentor, inadequate information, lack of information but to mention a few. The findings is in line with Olu-Ajayi (2008) who opined that a mentor that has wrong perception of life values at a time can divert the attention of the mentee from academic pursuit to irrelevances thus misplacement of priority, Some mentors divert their jobs of being a mentor into sexual molestations of their mentee, mentors use mentoring as a means of extorting money from their mentees etc.

The study also shows that the respondents agreed on the solutions to the problems associated with mentoring. Amongst the solutions are: planned and monitored mentoring should be adapted, inculcation of role of a mentor to the mentee, organizing mentoring in an open and conducive environment, etc. This finding is in consistent with the findings of Olu-Ajayi (2008) who found out that faculties should imbibe planned and monitored mentoring, inculcation of role of a mentor to the mentee and the mentoring should be done in open and conducive environment, the same sex mentoring should be encouraged etc.

Finally, the study showed that there was no significant difference between the mean responses of male and female biology students on the problems associated with mentoring on their academic performance. Therefore, the null hypothesis was upheld.

Conclusion

The study was on the influence of mentoring on the academic performance of biology students. The study revealed that mentoring has positive influence on the academic performance of biology students. Therefore, students should engage in mentoring so as to improve their academic performance.

Implications of the study

The findings revealed that mentoring has positive influence on the academic performance of biology students. This implies that students should engage in mentoring so as to improve their academic performance.

The findings also showed that there are problems associated with mentoring that can influence the academic performance of biology students. The implication is that the objectives of mentorship could be defeated if the problems are not checkmate. The solutions to the problems of mentoring were accepted which shows that these solutions when implemented could make the mentorship to become an effective strategy to improve academic performance of students.

Recommendations

Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made:

Planned and monitored mentoring should be adopted by the Faculty Heads of the institution to ensure that right life values are fostered in the mentee.

Seminars, conferences and workshops should be conducted by the Colleges/ schools/departments to create awareness on the need for mentoring.

Guidance and counseling should be provided in schools to inculcate the roles of mentors to both the mentor and mentee.

Infrastructures like halls and open gardens should be created and reserved for mentoring activities.

 

References

Austin, A.W. (2007).What matters in college: Four critical years revisited. San Franciscd,  Jossey-bass.

Crisp, G. & Cruz, I. (2009).Mentoring college students: A critical review of the literature between 1990 and 2007. Research in high education

Eric, P (2000). Coaching and mentoring: Practical methods to improve learning. Oxford, the oxford school of coaching and mentoring.

Jacob, I. M. (2001).Mentoring and undergraduate academic success: A literature review. Review of educational research.

Jeffords.J. (2001).My declaration of independence. American news. Johnson, K. (2006). Mentoring at risk youth: A case study of an intervention of academic achievement with middle school aged students.(Unpublished Doctoral dissertation), East Tennessee state university Johnson City.

Organization for Economic Co0operation and Development (2010).Pathways to success, how knowledge are skill at age 15 shape future lives in Canada. Paris: OECD.

Pocan, M. (2013). An address delivered bypocan