STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF NATIONAL TEACHERS’ INSTITUTE – NIGERIA CERTIFICATE IN EDUCATION DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN EBONYI AND ENUGU STATES, NIGERIA.

- - - 147 Table 2: Population Distribution of NTI Students in Ebonyi Table 3: Distribution of population and sample by strata Table 4: Perception scores of NTI – NCE learners on the qual

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF NATIONAL TEACHERS’ INSTITUTE –

NIGERIA CERTIFICATE IN EDUCATION DISTANCE EDUCATION

PROGRAMME IN EBONYI AND ENUGU STATES, NIGERIA

EXTRA-MURAL STUDIES

UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

OCTOBER, 2010

TITLE PAGE

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF NATIONAL TEACHERS’ INSTITUTE –

NIGERIA CERTIFICATE IN EDUCATION DISTANCE EDUCATION

PROGRAMME IN EBONYI AND ENUGU STATES, NIGERIA

BY

EZEMA, JAMES OKAFOR PG/Ph.D/99/26698

A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ADULT EDUCATION

AND EXTRA-MURAL STUDIES, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA.

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

FOR THE AWARD OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

(Ph.D) DEGREE IN ADULT EDUCATION

(EXTENSION AND DISTANCE EDUCATION)

OCTOBER, 2010

EZEMA, James Okafor, a post-graduate doctoral student of theDepartment of Adult Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and withRegistration Number PG/Ph.D/99/26698 has satisfactorily completed therequirements for course and research work for the award of a degree ofDoctor of Philosophy in Adult Education (Extension and DistanceEducation)

The work embodied in this thesis is original and has not beensubmitted in part or full for any other Diploma or Degree of this or anyother University

_

APPROVAL PAGE

This thesis has been approved for the Department of Adult Education and Extra Moral Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

By

_ _

_ External Examiner Internal Examiner

–––––––––––––––––––––

Prof S.A Ezeudu Dean, Faculty of Education

This Thesis is dedicated to my beloved wife Georgina and to all our

children

The researcher wishes to express his gratitude and appreciation toProfessor P.N.C Ngwu his project supervisor whose guidance and directionmade this work a success

The researcher’s unreserved gratitude goes to Professor J.D.C Osuala

of the blessed memory, Prof (Mrs) C.I Oreh, Dr C.U Eze, Dr A.E.Onuorah, Dr (Mrs) S.C Nwizu, Dr (Mrs) U Ebirim, and all other Lecturers

of the Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka for theirremarkable contributions to his academic progress and achievements

To his fellow colleagues, especially Mr L.O Nwabuko and Mr I.K.Onah for their untiring support both morally and financially to ensure thatthis work is realized The researcher wishes to state that they are wonderfulpeople Thank you for the touch of unity and cooperation the researcherenjoyed during the course of this work, and finally, but not the least, MissNkiru C Eze for typesetting this work

Ezema, James Okafor

Background of the study - - -

- Usefulness of open and distance learning systems - -

-74

-78

- Theoretical constructs of quality of teaching activities in open and

distance learning systems - - -

- Previous studies on teaching activities in open and distance

systems - - -

-137 Summary of Literature Review - - - 141

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS - - - -

-145 - Design of the study - - - 145

- Area of the study - - - 145

- Population for the study - - - 147

- Sample and sampling technique - - - 147

- Instrument for data collection - - - 148

- Validation of the instrument - - - 149

- Reliability of the instrument - - -

-149 - Method of Data Collection - - - 149

- Method of data analysis - - - 150

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS - - - -

-152 Summary of Findings - - -

-163 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMNEDATIONS - - - - 167

Discussion of Findings - - -

-167 Conclusion - - - 176

Implications of the Study - - -

-178

Recommendations - - - 179

Suggestions for Further Study - - -

-180

- Appendix 2 Computation of reliability of (internal consistency

of SPDLQ using Cronbach Alpha Approach (N = 30) - - - 202

- Appendix 3 Validation of Instrument: Suggestions Advanced

and Suggsetsions Effected - - -

-207

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Study centres and Student Enrolment in South

Eastern States of Nigeria - - - 147

Table 2: Population Distribution of NTI Students in Ebonyi

Table 3: Distribution of population and sample by strata

Table 4: Perception scores of NTI – NCE learners on the

quality of teaching activities offered in the programme -

-153

Table 5: Perception scores of NTI – NCE distance learners

on the learning activities used in the programme -

-153

Table 6: Perception scores of NTI – NCE learners on

the convenience of the NTI programme - - - 156

Table 7: Perception scores of NTI – NCE learners in Ebonyi

and Enugu states regarding the cost of the programme -

-157

Table 8: Perception scores of NTI – NCE distance learners regarding

the usefulness of the Programme - - -

-159

Table 9: T-test of difference between the mean scores of NTI – NCE

students in Ebonyi state and those in Enugu state on the quality of teaching activities offered in the programme - -

160

Table 10: T-test of difference between the mean perception scores of

NTI – NCE students in Ebonyi and Enugu states on the learning activities offered in the programme - - -

161Table 11: T-test of difference between the mean scores of NTI – NCE

students in Ebonyi state and those in Enugu state regarding

their perception of the convenience of the programme -

-162

Table 12: T-test of difference between the mean scores of NTI – NCE

students in Ebonyi state and those in Enugu state regarding the cost of the distance learning programme - - - 162

Table 13: T-test analysis of difference between the mean perception

scores of NTI – NCE students in Ebonyi state and those in Enugu state regarding the usefulness of the NTI-NCE programme -163

This study investigated the students’ perception of NTI – NCE distanceeducation programme in South East, Nigeria A descriptive surveyresearch design was adopted for the study Five research questions wereformulated for the study Five research hypotheses were posed for thestudy Using the stratified random sampling technique a total of 588 NTI –NCE distance learners from Ebonyi and Enugu states were randomlysampled, and stratified along state and gender A structured questionnairewas used for data collection A sample size of 588 NTI – NCE distancelearners was used for data collection The reliability coefficients of 0.70,0.72, 0.77, 0.76 and 0.74 respectively with a grand mean of 0.73 wereobtained using Cronbach Alpha method of determining internalconsistency of the instrument while two experts, in Distance Educationand Measurement and Evaluation carried out face validation of theinstrument Five research questions were answered using mean andstandard deviation while the five hypotheses which guided the study weretested at 0.05 level of significance using the t-test statistic It was foundout that the quality of teaching activities offered in NTI distance learningprogramme was high; the learning activities involved in the NTIprogramme were adequate and effective; the NTI – NCE programme wasfound to be convenient; the NTI – NCE programme was found to be capitalintensive, and the programme was found to be useful The use of effectivedistance teaching skills; programmes to be learner - centred rather thanteacher-controlled; use of multi-media approach in course delivery; theestablishment of more open and distance learning (ODL) institutions; andadequate recognition of distance learning programmes in Nigeria were therecommendations made

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the study

One of the programmes offered by the National Teachers’ Institute is theNigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programme The NTI provides an

alternative to traditional classrooms but equivalent route to initialqualifications for working primary school teachers in a country very short ofqualified teachers and where conventional teacher training institutions cannotmeet demand (Mohammed, 2005:14).

An acute shortage of qualified primary school teachers led to theestablishment in 1976 of the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), a distanceeducation college for teachers (Bunza, 2005:12) Its mission was to provideinitial teacher qualifications and upgrade the quality of teachers throughdistance education Its courses and qualifications were equivalent to those ofthe regular Colleges of Education (Eze, 2005:4) The NTI provides opportunitiesfor in-service teacher training for unqualified primary school teachers andfacilities for the promotion of access and equity in teacher education

The system has mass appeal and free of the constraints of over-crowding and over-stretched facilities experienced in formal education institutions (Mohammed, 2005:15) NTI has made a significant contribution to teacher supply with forty eight thousand, two hundred and four NCE graduates between 1990 and 2007 and

is now an institutionalized part of the teacher education system in Nigeria (Ahmed, 2006:16).

The need to provide access to education for all has also led to the lifting

of the suspension order on open and distance learning programme in Nigeria

by Government (FRN, 2004:141)

1

In this new National Policy on Education (NPE), the concept

of Open and Distance Education has been defined as an

all inclusive contact, and a mode of teaching in which

learners are removed in time and space from the teacher,

which uses a variety of media and technologies to provide

and / or improve access to good quality education for large

number of learners wherever they may be.

The NPE enunciated the goals of open and distance education to include:the provision of access to quality education and equity in educationalopportunities for those who otherwise would have been denied, meet specialneeds of employers by mounting special certificate courses for their employees

at their work places, encourage internationalization, especially of tertiaryeducation curricular, ameliorate the effects of internal and external brain drain

in tertiary institutions by utilizing Nigerian experts as teachers regardless oftheir locations or place of work (FRN, 2004:45) The enabling law (Decree 19 of1990) establishing the institute charged it among others with the responsibility

of providing courses of instruction leading to the development, upgrading andcertification of teachers as specified in the relevant syllabuses using DistanceEducation Techniques (Bunza, 2005:17) In specific terms, the enabling lawmandates the institute among others to: upgrade unqualified and untrainedteachers It is also to provide refresher and upgrading courses for teachers;organize workshops, seminars and conferences, which would assist in theimprovement of teachers The institute is mandated to conduct examinations;carry out research in conjunction with other bodies on any matter relevant toeducational development in the country It is to promote policies and initiateprogrammes at all levels of education designed to improve by way of researchthe quality and content of education in Nigeria It is also mandated to provideassess from time to time for the training programmes offered by institutions

controlled by or associated with the institute with a view to ascertaining of theprofessional competence of those institutions It also offers such assistance,either alone or in cooperation with educational bodies as may be required bythe institutions controlled by or associated with the institute It fosters andenhances international co-operation in the education of teachers, and performsuch other functions of the council under this decree (FRN, 2004:25).

Learner support is provided at weekends and during school vacations intwo hundred and twenty study centres around the country (Eze, 2005:13).Students attend them for tutorials, revision and examination sessions Theprogramme is print-based and supplementary audio and videocassettematerials are produced for use in study centres Study centres are intended toserve as access points to telephone, radio and television, newsletters and mini-libraries but, in practice, most study centres are devoid of these facilities andresources (Mohammed, 2005:22)

Supervision of practical teaching in schools is carried out by educatorsfrom local higher education institutions who visit students three-times duringeach four-week period and assess them against standardized performance-based assessment criteria (Robinson, 1987:24) Continuous assessment, testsand practical contribute 40 percent of the final grade, while writtenexaminations account for/contribute the remaining 60 percent Teachingpractice is compulsory but to qualify for it, students have to attain a grade of

60 percent in course work (Eze, 2005:10) Given the country’s infrastructureand resources levels, the choice of media and technologies is limited

Funding is directly by the Federal Ministry of Education It generatessome income through its printing press, publishing resource and conferencecentre Students buy their own course materials at the study centres or stateNTI offices but even those course materials that are sold at relatively low costs

to students are not always easily affordable (Mohammed, 2005:16) Mohammedfurther pointed out that recent teacher strikes and low salary payments by thegovernment have affected trainees’ ability to pay and may account fordropouts

The advantages of the NTI distance learning system according to Ahmed(2006:3) include: promotion of effectiveness and efficiency in the classroomperformance of teachers as they receive on-the-job training, taking education towhere learners are, physical barriers notwithstanding; promotion of access toeducation for those who for economic, social, cultural and religious reasonscould not go to conventional institutions and; enabling learners to learn attheir own pace anywhere, anytime

The programme covers a period of four academic years, which theinstitute refers to as “Cycles” Each cycle has Two Semesters Averages of fivemodules of course materials per subject are studied in each semester Thereare about 40 modules of course materials per subject for the 4 cycles of study

A module contains 10 lesson units of 1½ hour’s duration each Thus, a module

is covered in 15 hours at Tutorial/staff study (Mohammed, 2005:5) This isequivalent to 1 credit unit of the minimum standard requirement of theNational Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) The NCE programmeadmits candidates who have completed senior secondary schooling andpossess the requisite number of passes in the Senior Secondary SchoolCertificate Examinations (WASSCE) or the Ordinary Level or the GeneralCertificate of Education (GCE)

The programme is administered in such a way that communication flowssmoothly between the server and the client The zonal centres coordinate theactivities of contiguous state offices to promote efficient resource utilizationand programme delivery The state offices ensure the implementation ofpolicies within their operational areas (Buka, 2005:64)

Qualified and experienced part-time tutors are recruited to guide andcounsel students A centre supervisor coordinates activities in each studycentre The institute maintains permanent staff at zonal and state offices,while it engages qualified and experienced part-time staff at the study centres

Experts in the relevant fields are engaged to design and developprogrammes and course materials, monitor and evaluate programmes,moderate examinations etc, and all categories of staff-permanent and part-timeare retrained from time to time as the need arises (Mallam, 2006:35)

The programme has a number of mechanisms built into its distancelearning systems to ensure the maintenance of quality and standards Theseinclude: regular monitoring of programmes, regular review of instructionalmaterials, strict adherence to laid down admission requirements and externalmoderation of examinations (Eze, 2005:12).

Accreditation and quality control is undertaken by the NCCE which visitscentres to appraise the quality and quantity of tutors and sets the grading andassessment system (Bunza, 2005:32) The teaching practice and examinationsscripts are externally moderated, while the learning materials areacknowledged to have a value wider than the distance education programmealone and have been used in other West African countries (Sierra Leone,Gambia and Ghana) (Buka, 2005:66)

The cost of training teachers are not mostly available, but the evidencesuggests that of 5,167 NTI students completed in 2006, 2,872 passed theexamination at a unit cost of N53, 795 while the other 2,295 graduated afterretake; at a unit cost of N68, 635 (Bunza, 2005:64) This provides an averagecost per graduate of N60, 420 which include loss through dropout Thiscompares with a unit cost per graduate in a regular college of education of N84,

005 (1998), N124, 285 (1999) and N140, 185 (2000) (Eze, 2005:15)

Enrolment has steadily been changing (1994-97) cohort, 7,581, 98), 8, 398 (2001-2006) However, these are matched by percent (1994-97

(1995-cohort), 30 percent (1995-98), 35 percent (1996-99), 39 percent (2000-2003),and 41 percent (2004-2007) (Bunza, 2005:24) Of those completing the course,only 56.5percent passed out in 1995-98, 61.4 percent in 1996-99, 62.1 percent

in 2000-2004, and 63.3 percent 2005-2007 (UNESCO, 2002:62)

Problem of the drop-out rate (1994 – 97 Cohort, 5, 581, 1995 - 98), 4,

298 (2001 - 2006) has been attributed to several reasons: the inability oftrainees to afford course materials, the disruptions to the studies of femaletrainees as they follow a re-located husband, the demands of busy farmingperiods, late delivery of materials because of poor postal services; longdistances to travel to study centres; and failure of students to participate in theteaching practice programme Appropriate local tutors are recruited; and theactivities provided at study centres tend to mimic the formal practices ofconventional colleges or traditional ways of teaching, eroding the intention ofproviding opportunities for interaction between learners and learners andtutors (Mohammed, 2005:41) Despite the problems, the programme has made

a significant impact on teacher supply in Nigeria Twenty one thousandtrainees graduated with the NCE qualification in 1994, a number comparablewith the total admissions of the 58 colleges of education

Recently, South East states signed a memorandum of understanding(MOU) for training of teachers on Innovative Methods of Teaching the fourprimary school core subjects of English Language, Mathematics, Social Studies

and Primary Science and the effective use of School Based Assessment (SBA)aimed at upgrading and supporting continued teacher professionaldevelopment through distance learning system

Distance learning according to Holmberg (1989:14) covers the variousforms of study at all levels, which are not under the immediate supervision oftutors with their learners in lecture rooms or on the same premises from theplanning, guidance and teaching of a supporting framework The abovedefinition of distance learning is also supported by Lehner (1987:4), Shale(1996:24) and Race (1996:42) who stated that distance education may bedefined as the family of instructional materials in which the teachingbehaviours are executed apart from the learning behaviours They added thatdistance education activities include those educational activities, which in acontiguous situation would be performed in the learners’ presence so thatcommunication between the facilitator and the learners must be facilitated byprint, electronic, mechanical, or other devices

Distance education, or distance learning, is a field of education thatfocuses on the pedagogy/andragogy, technology, and instructional systemdesign that aim at delivering education to students who are not physically “onsite” Rather than attending courses in person, teachers and students maycommunicate at times of their own choosing by exchanging printed or

electronic media, or through technology that allows them to communicate inreal time.

Distance education is a growing phenomenon in Nigeria, as it is elsewhere in the world especially, in most of the third world countries Its growth isparticularly related to adult education and this chapter examines its role in thepromotion, growth and development of adult education in Nigeria Since itsbeginnings in Nigeria in the 50s in the name of correspondence colleges,distance education has come a long way although it was constrained in 1982during Shagair administration when the efforts to establish the National OpenUniversity of Nigeria (NOUN) was put in the cooler Today, Nigeria can boast of

a variety of programmes following the lifting of the suspension order on Openand Distance Learning programme by Government

Distance learning has been around for a long time Some people willclaim that smoke signals, were a form of distance learning This is probably anexaggeration However, it is true that correspondence courses have beenaround since 1800s Now the distance learning experience tends to be a blend

of various technologies Distance learning is generally defined as any situationthe instructor and learner are separated by either time or distance (Wills,1993) At its basic level, distance education takes place when a teacher andstudent (s) are separated by physical distance, and technology (i.e voice, video,

data and print) Often in concert with face to face communication, is used tobridge the instructional gap (WWW.Uidaho.edu/dist1.html).

Distance education is also called distance learning, e-learning or onlinelearning Unlike conventional classroom learning, it is not bounded by spaceand time In fact, teachers and students are commonly separated by space andtime, although they may choose to interact synchronously or meet periodicallyover length of the course Distance learning also needs to use technology Inthe early days of distance education, radio and television were the media used

to conduct education activities (Wills, 1993) Currently, the method hasextended to the internet, email, software, video tapes, cameras, etc

The terms “distance education” or “distance learning” have been appliedinterchangeably by many different researchers to a great variety ofprogrammes, providers, audiences and media (Sherry, 1996) Its hall marks arethe separation of teacher and learner in space and/or time (Perraton, 1988),the volitional control of learning by the students rather than the distantinstructor (Jonassen, 1992), and non contiguous communication betweenstudents and teacher, mediated by print or some form of technology (Keegan,1986; Garrison & Shale, 1987)

Distance education dictates changes in behaviour for both the teacherand the learner The successful student develops persistence and skills in self –directing work The successful distance education teacher becomes conversant

with new technology and develops new instructional styles, moving fromcreating instruction to managing resources and students and disseminatingviews (Strain, 1987).

The term distance education is used to cover various forms of study at alllevels where students have no direct physical contact with their teachers.(Gauchi & Matiru, 1989) You may be interested to note that the term distanceeducation acquired its universal acceptance in 1982 when the InternationalCouncil for Correspondence Education (ICCE), a UNESCO affiliatedorganization, changed its name into the International Council for DistanceEducation (ICDE) Prior to this universal acceptance, a number of terms wereused to describe this mode of teaching and learning

Although it is not intended to identify distance learning students as ahomogeneous group, research indicates that there are demographic andpersonality similarities among many of them that provide the basis for thedescription of a typical distance learning student Understanding distancelearning students can help you tailor your distance learning course logistics,syllabus, and course design to meet their needs

Most research indicates that distance learning students tend to be, onaverage, older than typical students in campus-based programmes In a 2004survey of potential graduate schools students in WPI’s (Work programmeinitiative) campus-based graduate’s programmes, it was found that 73% of the

students were under the age of 35 In an April 2007 survey of distance learningstudents at WPI, it was found that only 58% of students are under the age of35.

In most distance learning programmes in North America, distancelearning students are predominantly female, with different studies indicatingthat between 60% and 77% of students being female WPI’s distance learningprogrammes do not follow this trend Of students responding to the April 2007survey of distance learning students, 75% of distance learning students aremale

Several studies indicate that more than half of distance learningstudents hold full-time jobs outside of the home, with some programmesreporting as many as 90% of their students being employed full-time WPI doesnot have employment statistics on its distance learning students, but it is likelythat the 77% of students attending WPI part-time are employed The studentsare usually taking courses to help them advance in their careers

Various studies indicate that more than half of distance learningstudents are married with dependants This means that they are often juggling

a family and a job with their coursework WPI does not have any statistics onthe marital status of its distance learning students

Traditionally distance learning programmes have attracted studentswhose geographic distance from a college campus prevented their enrollment in

campus-based classes This is changing however, with more and more distancelearning students living within commuting distance of the college they areattending, but who choose to take distance learning courses because of theirconvenience This trend is also found at WPI, where more than 50% of studentsare from Massachusetts.

At WPI, 83% of distance learning students have been formally admitted

to a graduate degree or certificate programme, with the remaining just takingindividual courses 77% of distance learning students are attending WPI on apart-time basis The remaining 23% who are attending WPI full-time are likelyenrolled in a combination of campus-based and distance learning courses toprovide them with more scheduling

Many distance-education students are older, have jobs, and families.They must coordinate to different areas of their lives which influence eachother their families, jobs, spare time, and studies Distance students have avariety of reasons for taking courses Some students are interested in obtaining

a degree to qualify for a better job Many take courses to broaden theireducation and are not really interested in completing a degree In distanceeducation, the learner is usually isolated The motivational factors arising fromthe contact or competition with other students is absent The student alsolacks the immediate support of a teacher who is present and able to motivate

and, if necessary, give attention to actual needs and difficulties that crop upduring study.

Recently, it has been observed that the NCE certificates obtained fromthe NTI’s distance learning system are discriminated against in favour of thoseobtained from the conventional teacher education institutions (Diugwu,2006:2, Ogara, 2006:14 and Ramond, 2006:6) This phenomenon is due to lowperception of NTI-NCE distance learning system programme in Nigeria,especially in the South East zone Perception according to the New BookDictionary (2004:3) is to understand something in a particular way or to think

of something in a particular way Perception is about feeling, thought andmemories (Spery, 1996:44), Ramond (1997:14) and Dike (1998:24) For thepurpose of this study, it is an abstract process in which humans processinformation from their environment before reacting to either external orinternal stimuli

The perception of NTI students rested on the facets of teaching activities,leanring activities, convenience of the programme, cost effectiveness of theprogramme and the usefulness of the NTI-NCE programme Also the students’perception of the NTI-NCE programme is based on the fact that in manycountries like South Africa, Peru, and Uganda, distance education is beingused for the training and re-training teachers

“Perceive” means how participant see the phenomenon It implies thatdifferent people see the same phenomenon differently One’s perception may bemotivated This is pre-perception where he perceives what he wishes toperceive or has already made up his mind If you want to see ghosts and you gonear or to a cemetery at night you will probably see one where there is none.The shape of a tree may assume a ghost to you If you are waiting intently forsomeone, you intend to hear knocks where there is none Beliefs andsuperstitions may influence pre-perception If you therefore, believe in ghostsyou will see one by causing it to appear in your perceptual field.

Students’ perception of problems encountered in distance learningprogrammes is often correlated with student achievement and retention in thedistance learning programme (Garrison, 1990:42) Studies pertaining tostudents’ perception of problems encountered during distance learning classeswill enable educators to identify programmes characteristics that impedelearning The distance learning classroom varies from the conventionalclassroom in the sense that the distance learning classroom not only separatesthe instructor from students, but from students as well (Freitas, Meyers, &Avitgis, 1998:16) Because of this separation many problems are encountered

by students due to the technological difficulties that can arise and the lack ofpersonal contact between instructors and students (Freitas, et al.; 1998:32).Because of the physical separation of instructors and students, students’

perception will be distinctly different compared to the perceptions expressed bystudents in a traditional classroom.

The low perception phenomenon has tended to trigger off low enrolment,

in the NTI’s NCE distance learning programme, 90 percent in 2005 to 25percent in 2007 (Bunza, 2007:42) The trend in enrolment and dropout could

be as a result of perception of students In view of the above circumstance, theresearcher is concerned that if the above trend is allowed to continue, it hasthe capability of marring the very good intentions behind the establishment ofthe National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna

Statement of the Problem

Distance education is a newly developing area, which requires manymore studies to keep abreast with this rapidly developing phenomenon.Although there has been a great deal of researches directed at training teachersusing the distance learning system (UNESCO, 1998:6, UNESCO, 2000:10,OECD, 2001:14) and although results of a number of research studies (Dodds,2006:21 and Bates, 2007:41) indicate that many institutions of higher learninghave adopted distance learning system as the next logical step in theeducational pedagogy of training teachers, most existing researches on trainingteachers using the distance learning system tends to focus on students’achievement and the effectiveness of the technologies used in educationalpedagogy (Baker, 2002:46)

Relatively little is known, however, about how distance learners; perceivedistance learning system (Blustain, Goldstein, & Lozier, 1999:3 & Drucker,1977:72) Or the kinds of behaviours exhibited by students using the distancelearning mode as against the traditional face-to-face teaching and learningmethod (Diugwu, 2006:12, Ogara, 2006:13, & Ramond, 2007:74).

As a result, research is needed to be conducted on students’ perception

of teaching, learning, convenience, cost effectiveness and usefulness ofdistance education programme (Agu, 2006:16; Muonye, 2006:7; Musa, 2006:9;Onah, 2006:4; Onu, 2007:6 & Mohammed, 2005:14)

It has been observed that NTI-NCE distance learners in South Easternstates of Nigeria feels inferior before their regular students counterpart fromthe conventional colleges of Education Secondly, these regular students lookdown on the students of NTI-NCE programme as a very low and cheap means

of acquiring NCE Certificate Experience has also shown that many of the NCE students drop out as soon as they registered in the NTI-NCE programme

NTI-In some states, especially in the Southeastern states the NTI-NCEcertificate obtained from the NTI programme is not acceptable in the teachingprofession As a result, many of the NTI-NCE students tend to look at the NTI-NCE programme as a waste of time and therefore, are not keen to continueupgrading themselves through the NTI programme Consequently, the NTI’s

aim of upgrading and providing access to education especially for primaryschool teachers in Nigeria is being defeated.

Based on the foregoing therefore, the problem of this study is: How dostudents perceive the NTI-NCE distance education programme in SouthEastern States of Nigeria on the above critical areas of distance learning modesuch as teaching activities, learning activities, convenience, cost-effectivenessand usefulness of the NTI-NCE Programme?

Purpose of the study

The purpose of the study is to investigate students’ perception of the NTI– NCE distance education programme in the South East, Nigeria Specifically,the objectives of the study sought to:

1 determine the perceptions of NTI-NCE learners in Ebonyi and Enugu

states on teaching activities in distance learning system;

2 examine how NTI – NCE distance learners in Ebonyi and Enugu states

perceive the learning activities in distance learning system;

3 the perceptions of the NTI - NCE distance learners in Ebonyi and

Enugu states on the convenience of the NTI –NCE distance learningsystem;

4 investigate the perceptions of students in Ebonyi and Enugu states on

the cost of the NTI – NCE distance learning programme; and

5 determine the perceptions of NTI – NCE students in Ebonyi and

Enugu states on the usefulness of the NCE certificates obtained fromthe NTI, Kaduna distance learning system

Significance of the Study

The findings of the research will also assist educational policy makers tohave a policy framework supporting a new initiative for open and distanceeducation programme in Nigeria

The findings of the research study will bring to lime light the perceptions

of the students on the quality of teaching activities involved in the learning programme of NTI, Kaduna The results of the study will alsoshowcase the learning activities involved in the distance learning system as analternative delivery strategy to education in the 21st century Nigeria

distance-The findings will assist educational planners and other stakeholders inthe provision of access to quality and equity to education through distancelearning system especially in this era of globalization which will offer manyteachers the opportunities offered by distance education to allow instructors to

be focused in providing distance teaching to learners/beneficiaries The result

of the study will also assist educational organizations and administrators toformulate effective mechanism with various stakeholders in distance learningsystems for adaptation and reliability in service delivery provision for

qualitative distance learning systems in Nigeria and Africa at large through theprovision of programme that will reach a wider student audience.

The findings will also enable the Ministries Of Education (MOE) andother collaborating institutions to appreciate the problems associated withdistance learning especially the value of the certificates obtained from thedistance learning systems in the face of employers of labour in a developingcountry like Nigeria

Furthermore, the findings of this study will enable the NTI authorities tohave an idea on students perceptions, which is an area related to the overallquality in the field of distance education This is because student’s perceptionshave for long not been known as an important factor affecting learningoutcomes Thus, studying student’s perceptions in distance education courseswill improve their understanding of distance education and also foreseestudent learning outcomes from the whole institutional perspective includingthe administrative and teaching levels that will meet the needs of students whoare unable to attend on-campus classes

The findings will assist educational planners and other stakeholders inthe provision of access to quality and equity in the provision of Education forAll (EFA) in the country It is also hoped that the findings of this study wouldserve as further source of information for further research work on open anddistance learning systems (ODL) in Nigeria

This study contributes to Adult Education in that it provides boththeoretical and practical ways through which adult education could provideexpanded educational access to many, especially adults who cannot due tofamily and work ties attend regular educational programmes, but couldcontinue to improve on their educational needs through Open and DistanceEducation Provisions It is against this background that the researcherinvestigated students’ perception of the NTI - NCE distance educationprogramme in South East, Nigeria.

Lastly, but not the least, the findings of this study will enrich literature

in the field of distance education as a new educational construct for teaching –learning process in the 21st century by providing the much needed recentinformation on distance education trends throughout the world

Research Questions

The following research questions have been provided for this study.These are:

1 What are the ratings of perception of NTI-NCE learners in Ebonyi and

Enugu states regarding the quality of teaching activities offered in theprogramme as determined by the mean score?

2 How do NTI – NCE distance learners in Ebonyi and Enugu states

perceive the learning activities involved in the programme?

3 What are the ratings of perception of NTI – NCE learners in Ebonyi and

Enugu states regarding the convenience of the NTI programme as

determined by the mean score?

4 What are the ratings of perception of NTI – NCE learners in Ebonyi and

Enugu states on the cost of the distance learning programme asdetermined by the mean score?

5 What are the ratings of perception of NTI – NCE distance learners in

Ebonyi and Enugu states on the usefulness of the NTI-NCE programme

as determined by the mean score?

Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses have been formulated to guide the study.They were tested at 0.05 level of significance These are:

Ho 1

There is no significant difference between the mean perception scores

of NTI – NCE students in Ebonyi state and their counterparts in Enugustate regarding the quality of teaching activities offered in theprogramme

Ho 2

There is no significant difference between the mean scores of NTI – NCEstudents in Ebonyi state and those in Enugu state on their perceptions

of the learning activities involved in the programme

Ho 3

There is no significant difference between the scores of NTI – NCEstudents in Ebonyi state and their counterparts in Enugu state on theirperception of the convenience of the NTI – NCE programme

Scope of the study