STUDENTS' AND SUPERVISORS' RESEARCH CULTURE AS
PREDICTORS OF THE QUALITY OF UNDERGRADUATE
THESIS IN BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY, MAKURDI - NIGERIA
The study investigates students' and supervisors' research culture as
predictors of the quality of undergraduates' research work in Benue State
University, Makurdi. There is increasing need to examine and reposition
the behaviour of students and supervisors towards research writing as an
integral mechanism to improve the quality of university education in
Nigeria. Three research questions are developed for the study. The study is
a descriptive survey research in which students and lecturers are the target
population. A sample of 400 students and 200 Lecturers from the faculties
of Education and Social Sciences are purposively and randomly selected.
Data is collected through questionnaire, analysed using simple
percentages and multiple regression. The findings reveal that student and
supervisor factors have significant combined cause of poor undergraduate
research (R2 =.057, F = 9.003). Students' knowledge of research process 599
(? = .150, t = 1.745, p<0.05), Supervisors' Workload (? =.082, t =2.810,
p<0.05), Supervisors' Attitude to Supervisees (? = .055, t = 2.911, p<0.05)
and Students' Attitude to research (? =.078, t =2.201, p <0.05) have
significant relative contribution to poor quality of undergraduate
research. The university should employ more research professionals,
reduce workload for lecturers, and provide free open internet access to
students.
Key words: Students, Supervisors, Research, Culture, Attitude, Workload
Pila Nasela
STUDENTS' AND SUPERVISORS' RESEARCH CULTURE AS PREDICTORS OF THE QUALITY OF UNDERGRADUATE THESIS IN BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY, MAKURDI - NIGERIA
The study investigates students' and supervisors' research culture as predictors of the quality of undergraduates' research work in Benue State University, Makurdi. There is increasing need to examine and reposition the behaviour of students and supervisors towards research writing as an integral mechanism to improve the quality of university education in Nigeria. Three research questions are developed for the study. The study is a descriptive survey research in which students and lecturers are the target population. A sample of 400 students and 200 Lecturers from the faculties of Education and Social Sciences are purposively and randomly selected. Data is collected through questionnaire, analysed using simple percentages and multiple regression. The findings reveal that student and supervisor factors have significant combined cause of poor undergraduate research (R2 =.057, F = 9.003). Students' knowledge of research process 599 (? = .150, t = 1.745, p<0.05), Supervisors' Workload (? =.082, t =2.810, p<0.05), Supervisors' Attitude to Supervisees (? = .055, t = 2.911, p<0.05) and Students' Attitude to research (? =.078, t =2.201, p <0.05) have significant relative contribution to poor quality of undergraduate research. The university should employ more research professionals, reduce workload for lecturers, and provide free open internet access to students. Key words: Students, Supervisors, Research, Culture, Attitude, Workload