ATTITUDINAL DISPOSITION OF GRADUATES AND UNDERGRADUATES TO EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH IN SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the attitudinal approach of graduate and undergraduate students to educational research in higher institutions in South Western States of Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design method was adopted, with a population size of four hundred (400) graduates and undergraduates for the study. Three research questions were raised, while structured questionnaire was used by the researchers to collect data. Descriptive statistics of frequency counts, percentages and mean were used to analyze the data gathered. The findings showed that graduates and undergraduates formed poor attitudes towards educational research in Nigerian higher institutions. The factors shown to impact on graduate and undergraduate students’ attitudes toward educational research include academic mentorship, accessibility of resources, funding, among others. There is a significant relationship between behavioural and cognitive aspects towards educational research among graduate and undergraduate students. Higher institutions are shown to play essential roles in educational research. It was recommended that graduates and undergraduates should follow ethical guidelines and standards when collecting and analyzing data, and they should report their findings accurately and honestly. Students should be inspired to attend academic seminars, conferences, workshops and symposia to ensure quality research works.