Submitted abstracts for the 2026 NCEP Annual Conference. Use the filters below to search by keyword, author, or sub-theme.
93 abstracts found
The misuse and misinterpretation of statistical methods remain a major challenge in academic research, often leading to invalid conclusions and poor-quality publications. Despite the increasing emphasis on research methods training, there is a dearth of standardized instruments to measure the extent of statistical errors committed by students and researchers. This study aimed to develop and validate the Statistical Errors in Research Scale (SERS) for use among undergraduate, postgraduate students, and early career researchers in Nigerian universities. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey and instrument development design. An initial pool of 65 items was generated from literature review, expert consultation, and analysis of common errors in theses and journal articles. The items covered six dimensions: Misinterpretation of Statistical Tests, Sampling and Sample Size Errors, Data Analysis and Software Misuse, Results Presentation and Reporting Errors, Assumptions Violation, and Overgeneralization of Findings. Content validity was established by 7 experts in measurement and statistics. The draft scale was administered to 450 students and researchers across 3 universities in South-South Nigeria. Data were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, and item-total correlation. Results indicated a 32-item, 6-factor structure of SERS with good model fit indices: CFI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.048. The scale demonstrated high internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.78 to 0.88 across subscales, and overall alpha of 0.91. Convergent and discriminant validity were also established. The SERS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing statistical errors and can be used by lecturers, supervisors, and institutions to diagnose training needs and improve research quality. Keywords: Statistical errors, scale development, research methods, validation, students, research
Read More →School disillusionment among secondary school students is an emerging educational and psychological concern that may manifest in students’ loss of interest in schooling, declining commitment to academic activities, negative perceptions of school, reduced educational aspirations, and emotional withdrawal from the school environment. Although students may be physically present in school, some may gradually lose confidence in their ability to succeed and become less convinced about the value and relevance of their educational experiences. This situation has implications for students’ academic development, psychological well-being, school participation, and future educational aspirations. The present article examines self-efficacy and self-esteem as psychological factors that may predict school disillusionment among secondary school students in Nnewi Education Zone, while considering gender as a possible moderating variable. The article is anchored primarily on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, which emphasises the influence of self-efficacy beliefs on individuals’ motivation, persistence, behaviour, and responses to challenges. Rosenberg’s perspective on self-esteem also provides a useful framework for understanding how students’ evaluations of their self-worth may influence their school experiences. The article argues that students with strong self-efficacy and healthy self-esteem may be more resilient in the face of academic and social challenges and may therefore be less vulnerable to school disillusionment. Conversely, students who doubt their abilities or possess negative self-evaluations may be more susceptible to discouragement and psychological withdrawal from school. The moderating role of gender is considered because male and female students may experience different social expectations and educational pressures, although existing empirical findings remain inconsistent. The article concludes that examining the combined influence of self-efficacy and self-esteem, alongside gender differences, may provide useful insights for understanding and addressing school disillusionment among secondary school students in Nnewi Education Zone. Keywords: self-efficacy, self-esteem, school disillusionment, school disengagement, secondary school students, gender, Nnewi Education Zone
Read More →Academic apathy among adolescents is an increasing challenge in many public secondary schools in Nigeria. It manifests as disinterest, low motivation, and withdrawal from academic responsibilities, and has serious implications for learning outcomes. This study examined addressing academic apathy to enhance adolescent learning engagement in Calabar Education Zone: A policy perspective. The study adopted a conceptual and policy analysis approach anchored on Self-Determination Theory by Deci and Ryan (1985) and Student Engagement Theory by Skinner and Belmont (1993). The paper clarified three key concepts: academic apathy, adolescent learning engagement, and education policy. It identified the manifestations of academic apathy in Calabar Education Zone to include chronic lateness, truancy, non-submission of assignments, inattentiveness in class, overreliance on examination malpractice, and poor performance in WAEC and NECO. The causes were found to be instructional, infrastructural, socio-economic and psychosocial factors, including teacher-centred pedagogy, inadequate facilities, poverty, peer influence, digital distractions, and the perception that education does not guarantee employment. The study further revealed that academic apathy leads to poor academic performance, low self-esteem, school dropout, teacher frustration, wastage of resources, and weakened human capital development. It also identified gaps in policy implementation relating to instructional practices, resource provision, guidance and counselling services, and monitoring and evaluation. Based on the findings, the study recommends policy strategies such as enforcement of student-centred pedagogy, provision of minimum learning facilities, integration of career education, strengthening of guidance and counselling services, and establishment of a robust monitoring framework. The educational and counselling implications were discussed. The study concludes that academic apathy can be effectively addressed to enhance adolescent learning engagement in Calabar Education Zone through deliberate, context-specific policy actions that reform instruction, improve resources, strengthen support services, and ensure accountability. Keywords: Academic Apathy, Adolescent Learning Engagement & Education Policy
Read More →The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies has significantly transformed teaching and learning practices in higher education, creating new opportunities for enhancing students' cognitive development. However, despite the growing adoption of AI-assisted learning tools among university students, limited empirical evidence exists on how AI-assisted learning and educational engagement influence critical and creative thinking within the Nigerian higher education context. This study examined the relationships among AI-assisted learning, educational engagement, critical thinking, and creative thinking among Nigerian university students in the digital intelligence era. A correlational survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised undergraduate students from two selected universities in South-West Nigeria, while a sample of 250 students was selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using the AI-Assisted Learning Scale (AILS), Student Engagement Scale (SES), California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). The data collected were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between AI-assisted learning and critical thinking (r = .61, p < .05), AI-assisted learning and creative thinking (r = .57, p < .05), educational engagement and critical thinking (r = .69, p < .05), and educational engagement and creative thinking (r = .65, p < .05). The study concluded that AI-assisted learning and educational engagement are positively associated with the development of critical and creative thinking among Nigerian university students. The study closed an important gap in the literature by providing empirical evidence on the relationships among AI-assisted learning, educational engagement, critical thinking, and creative thinking among Nigerian university students, an area that has received limited scholarly attention despite the increasing integration of AI technologies in higher education. The study recommended that Nigerian universities should integrate AI literacy courses into undergraduate curricula to help students understand how to effectively, ethically, and critically use AI tools for learning. Also, students should be trained to use AI tools as assistants for brainstorming, analysis, and feedback rather than for direct copying of answers, to preserve critical thinking development. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, AI-assisted learning, educational engagement, critical thinking, creative thinking, digital intelligence era, university students.
Read More →The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed teaching and learning in higher education by providing innovative opportunities for personalized learning and cognitive development. However, empirical evidence on the influence of AI-assisted learning on students' critical and creative thinking in Nigeria remains limited. This study examined the relationships among AI-assisted learning, educational engagement, critical thinking, and creative thinking among Nigerian university students in the digital intelligence era. A correlational survey design was adopted. The population comprised undergraduate students from two public universities in South-West Nigeria, from which a sample of 250 students was selected using a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using the AI-Assisted Learning Scale (AILS), Student Engagement Scale (SES), California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), and Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to analyse the data at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed significant positive relationships between AI-assisted learning and critical thinking (r = .61, p < .05), AI-assisted learning and creative thinking (r = .57, p < .05), educational engagement and critical thinking (r = .69, p < .05), and educational engagement and creative thinking (r = .65, p < .05). The study concludes that AI-assisted learning and educational engagement significantly support the development of higher-order thinking skills when learners actively engage with AI technologies. It recommends integrating AI literacy into university curricula, promoting inquiry-based learning, and training students to use AI as a cognitive support tool rather than a substitute for independent thinking. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, AI-assisted learning, educational engagement, critical thinking, creative thinking, university students.
Read More →The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is transforming the teaching and learning landscape of our time to the extent that the traditional learning assessment and knowledge production apparently calls for a review. It is considered that tools capable of generating explanations, essays, summaries, examples, feedback, computer code, and other forms of content can provide substantial educational benefits through the mode of AI. However, unrestricted dependence on artificial intelligence may also encourage cognitive offloading, superficial engagement, reduced independent reasoning and what has been described as metacognitive laziness. This development presents educators with an important challenge: how can learning tasks be designed so that artificial intelligence supports rather than substitute students’ thinking? This paper examines the design of learning tasks that promote metacognitive learning strategies in the artificial intelligence age, with particular reference to the Nigerian educational context. Drawing on Flavell’s theory of metacognition, Zimmerman and Pintrick’s self-regulated learning perspectives, Vygostky’s socio-cultural theory, and contemporary research on generative AI, the paper proposes a METACOG-AI Learning Task Design Framework consisting of seven interconnected processes, namely, Metacognitive goal-setting, independent attempt, Technology-supported inquiry, AI-output evaluation, Cognitive revision, Observation of learning progress, and Generalization/transfer. The framework positions the learner - not the AI system – as the principal cognitive agent. Recent empirical evidence indicates that carefully structured AI-supported learning can improve-academic outcomes, while unstructured AI use may encourage dependence and weaken opportunities for independent learning. The paper argues that Nigerian educators should move beyond the binary debate of whether students should or should not use AI and instead design leaning tasks that require students to plan, reason, verify, critique, revise, and reflect. Such an approach can transform AI from an answer-producing device into a scaffold for metacognitive development, critical thinking, learner autonomy, and lifelong learning.
Read More →This study examines the impact of Nigeria Education Loan fund (NELFUND) on academic stress among the beneficiary of students of Kano State Polytechnic Kano State Nigeria. Two research questions with corresponding research hypotheses were formulated to guide the investigation. An expost-facto was employed as a reteach design for the study, while the population of the study comprised of 579 students who benefitted from Nelfund disbursement for 2025/2026 academic session. Two hundred and seventeen (217) were drawn in line with research advisor’s table for sampling size (2006), while proportionate sampling was used based on the number of various unit schools of the school. A researcher made questionnaire with reliability of internal consistency of .076 coefficient was used for data collection .Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC), and t test were applied to analyze the data. Findings from the study revealed that Nelfund has significantly alleviated the academic stress among the beneficiary students of Kano state Polytechnic, while difference was established between male and female on the extent to which the fund alleviated their stress. Based on the findings it was recommended that government should increase the monthly payment of the students’’ up keep to efficiently cater for their basic needs. Nelfund should also expedite the payment of school registration fees specifically for the newly admiiteed students as this will reduce fair of uncertainty, and make the students face academic tasks without stress.
Read More →The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed teaching and learning in higher education by providing innovative opportunities for personalized learning and cognitive development. However, empirical evidence on the influence of AI-assisted learning on students' critical and creative thinking in Nigeria remains limited. This study examined the relationships among AI-assisted learning, educational engagement, critical thinking, and creative thinking among Nigerian university students in the digital intelligence era. A correlational survey design was adopted. The population comprised undergraduate students from two public universities in South-West Nigeria, from which a sample of 250 students was selected using a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using the AI-Assisted Learning Scale (AILS), Student Engagement Scale (SES), California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), and Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to analyse the data at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed significant positive relationships between AI-assisted learning and critical thinking (r = .61, p < .05), AI-assisted learning and creative thinking (r = .57, p < .05), educational engagement and critical thinking (r = .69, p < .05), and educational engagement and creative thinking (r = .65, p < .05). The study concludes that AI-assisted learning and educational engagement significantly support the development of higher-order thinking skills when learners actively engage with AI technologies. It recommends integrating AI literacy into university curricula, promoting inquiry-based learning, and training students to use AI as a cognitive support tool rather than a substitute for independent thinking. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, AI-assisted learning, educational engagement, critical thinking, creative thinking, university students.
Read More →The growing attraction of get-rich-quick schemes among young adults raises concerns about how financial aspirations may influence educational attitudes. This study examined the relationship between get-rich-quick scheme susceptibility and academic apathy among 152 undergraduates across two Nigerian universities, drawing on Social Learning Theory and Expectancy-Value Theory. Two context-specific instruments were developed: the Get-Rich-Quick Scheme Susceptibility Scale (GRQSS) and the Academic Apathy Scale (AAS), both demonstrating excellent internal consistency (α = .91 and .93, respectively). Data were analysed in SPSS version 25 using Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlation, hierarchical multiple regression, independent-samples t tests, one-way ANOVA with Tukey HSD post hoc comparisons, chi-square/Fisher's exact tests, and moderation analysis using the PROCESS macro. Get-rich-quick scheme susceptibility was significantly and positively correlated with academic apathy, r(150) = .69, p < .001, and susceptibility factors accounted for 54.8% of the variance in academic apathy after controlling for demographics, R² = .55, F(8, 143) = 21.68, p < .001, with social media and peer pressure influence emerging as the strongest unique predictor (β = .49, p < .001). Susceptibility and apathy varied significantly by age range but not by gender, study level, or parental education. Moderation analysis revealed that financial literacy did not buffer, but instead significantly strengthened, the positive effect of desire for quick wealth on academic apathy (B = 3.06, p = .029), a counterintuitive finding with implications for financial literacy interventions. These results highlight the psychological and social drivers of educational disengagement among Nigerian undergraduates. Keywords: get-rich-quick schemes, academic apathy, financial literacy, moderation analysis, undergraduate students, Nigeria
Read More →This study investigated the effects of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) on substance abuse and academic stress among students in State Colleges of Education in North West, Nigeria. Guided by four objectives, research questions, and null hypotheses, the study adopted a pre-test, post-test, non-randomized control group quasi-experimental design. The sample comprised 110 purposively screened pre-service teachers across two institutions, assigned to an experimental group ($n=58$) or a control group ($n=52$). Data were collected using the validated Substance Abuse Questionnaire ($\alpha=0.82$) and Academic Stress Questionnaire ($\alpha=0.86$). The experimental group underwent a 12-week CBT intervention, while the control group received conventional counseling. Data were analyzed using Mean, Standard Deviation, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at the 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed that CBT significantly reduced substance abuse tendencies among pre-service teachers compared to the conventional approach ($F=3121.43, p<0.05$). Additionally, the intervention exerted a statistically significant positive effect in mitigating academic stress levels ($F=21.05, p<0.05$), with no significant interaction effects based on gender. It was concluded that CBT is a highly potent, evidence-based psychological intervention for managing behavioral and psychological challenges in tertiary institutions. Consequently, it is recommended that ministries of education and institutional administrators institutionalize structured CBT frameworks within higher education counseling centers. Furthermore, curriculum planners should integrate psychological coping mechanisms into teacher education curricula to proactively equip future educators against academic and behavioral vulnerabilities. Keywords: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Substance Abuse, Academic Stress, Teacher Education, Higher Education Ecosystems.
Read More →The study investigated the financial stress and economic pressure as predictors of students’ academic motivation and engagement in secondary schools in Nsukka LGA of Enugu State. Three research questions and two null hypotheses (tested at p<0.05) guided the study. The study adopted a correlation research design. The sample for this study was made up of 480 senior secondary class (SS2) two students which comprise of 199 males and 281 females in Enugu Educational Zone of Enugu State. Four instruments, Financial Stress Scale (FSS), Economic Pressure Scale (EPS), Students’ Academic Motivation Scale (SAMS) and Students Engagement Scale (SAES) were self-designed and face validated by three experts in relevant areas. Internal consistency reliability coefficients of .88, .81, .79 and .73 were established for FSS, EPS, SAMS and SAES. Data collected for the study was analyzed using linear and multiple regression while the hypotheses were tested using t-test and ANOVA associated with regression. The findings of this study revealed that financial stress and Economic Pressure significant predictors of students' academic motivation and engagement, accounting for a notable proportion of variance in both constructs. It was recommended that students should be motivated academically and economically through scholarships by the school authority and government to cushion the shock of financial stress and economic pressure in order for the students’ to be motivated and engaged in secondary schools.
Read More →This study examined lecturers' perceived impact of social intelligence on the academic sustainability of students of Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri. The study specifically examined the impact of social intelligence on the academic sustainability of students of Alvan. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised the 725 lecturers in Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri. A sample size of 254 lecturers was determined using the Taro Yamane formula. Stratified random sampling technique was adopted to ensure proportional representation across the six faculties in the institution, while simple random sampling was used to select participants within each faculty. A total of 254 copies of questionnaire were distributed to the respondents and 250 copies were retrieved. Data were collected with a structured and validated questionnaire titled Lecturers’ Perceived Social Intelligence and Academic Sustainability Questionnaire (LPSIASQ) which had a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of .84. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. Based on the findings, it was concluded that lecturers’ social intelligence significantly impacts students’ academic sustainability. It was therefore recommended that the university management should organize regular training and workshops on social intelligence and emotional competence for lecturers, and that policies should be developed to integrate social intelligence into teacher preparation and appraisal systems to enhance sustainable learning outcomes. Keywords: social intelligence, academic sustainability, lecturers’ perception, descriptive survey, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education
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