The aim of this study is to formulate a new method for an analysis of examination-related data (marks vs. percentile) to determine the average preparation level of the examinees. For this purpose, we have used a small set of marks vs. percentile data (obtained from the internet) of the Joint Entrance Examination – Main [JEE (Main)] conducted in April 2024. An empirical expression has been chosen here to represent the percentile score as a function of marks. Based on this function, we have derived an expression for the probability of scoring any marks and shown its behaviour graphically.
DURING COVID-19 Lockdown of education institutions has opened whole new realm of possibilities in educational sphere. Online class rooms emerged as an alternative to the physical classrooms. Education is the process of transferring knowledge, values, methods, skills and beliefs from one individual to another.
This study examined the effect of welfare administration on employee service delivery at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria, covering the period 2010–2024. The study was motivated by persistent concerns regarding inadequate staff welfare, including poor funding, irregular allowances, and unsatisfactory working conditions, which may affect employee performance and service delivery in Nigerian universities. The specific objectives were to examine the effect of inadequate funding on employee effectiveness and to analyze the influence of workplace environment on efficient service delivery. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources, with primary data obtained through structured questionnaires administered to academic and non-academic staff of the university. A sample size of 380 was determined using the Taro Yamane formula, while 366 valid responses were analyzed. The study employed a stratified random sampling technique to ensure adequate representation of staff categories. The instrument was validated through expert review and tested for reliability using the test-retest method, yielding a high reliability coefficient of 0.93. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis with the aid of SPSS version 25. The findings revealed a significant negative relationship between inadequate funding and employee effectiveness (R = .612, R² = .375, p < 0.05), indicating that insufficient funding reduces employee productivity and performance. Conversely, the study found a strong positive relationship between workplace environment and efficient service delivery (R = .735, R² = .541, p < 0.05), suggesting that a conducive work environment enhances employee output and service quality. The study concluded that effective welfare administration is a critical determinant of employee performance and service delivery. While inadequate funding undermines staff effectiveness, a supportive workplace environment significantly improves service outcomes. The study recommended increased and consistent funding, as well as improvements in workplace conditions, to enhance employee productivity and institutional performance.
The present study examined the effects of pre-reading activities on senior secondary students’ achievement in reading comprehension in North-Central which comprises Plateau, Benue, Niger, Kwara, Kogi and Nasarawa states. The study adopted the quasi-experimental research design. Specifically, the pre-test post-test non-equivalent comparison group design. The sample size of the study consisted of 103 senior secondary students (SS2) The sample was drawn using simple random and purposive sampling techniques. Reading Comprehension Achievement Test (RCAT). was used to gather data. The Reading Comprehension Achievement Test (RCAT) measured the two reading skills namely the literal and inferential comprehension. The data collected for the study were organized and interpreted using descriptive and inferential statistics. The research questions one to two were answered using the mean and standard deviation. Hypotheses one to two were tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The findings showed that pre-reading activities motivate and sustain students’ interest in the actual reading activity. They also activate the building of related information in such a way that new information is easily assimilated into learners’ existing fields of knowledge. Though pre-reading activities such as brainstorming, use of picture and predicting play a critical role in the reading comprehension classroom, the study revealed that a significant number of teachers do not use them. The few who do, neither use a variety of them nor use them regularly. The study recommends that curriculum developers and implementers should incorporate appropriate and regular pre-reading activities for assigned texts in the reading comprehension classroom.
In most English writing classrooms in China, the less than ecological learning environments often contribute to Chinese senior high school students’ moderate to high levels of English writing anxiety and hinder their progress in English writing achievement. To address this issue, this study constructed an ecological classroom for English writing instruction based on the nested ecosystems model (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1993) and the concept of affordances (van Lier, 2004). A 14-week pedagogical intervention was conducted in a senior high school in China with an experimental class following the ecological classroom instruction and a control class receiving the traditional classroom instruction. Results showed that participation in ecological classroom significantly reduced their writing anxiety and increased their writing achievement. A negative correlation was also found between these two variables in the experimental class. These findings demonstrated the effectiveness of ecological classroom for alleviating writing anxiety and improving writing achievement, and offer insights for the potential of ecological classrooms to create emotionally supportive and pedagogically dynamic environments that foster both affective well-being and English writing development.
