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Article
Publication date: 11 June 2024

Ezinne Orie Idika, Adaobiagu Nnemdi Obiagu and Ebere Ibe

This study investigated university lecturers' attitudes, readiness and anxiety toward e-learning in response to the widespread transition to online education prompted by the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigated university lecturers' attitudes, readiness and anxiety toward e-learning in response to the widespread transition to online education prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the interrelationships between these variables using a sample drawn from Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consisted of 168 university lecturers in Nigeria, comprising 94 males and 74 females. A questionnaire assessing university lecturers' attitudes, readiness and anxiety toward e-learning was administered to collect data. Descriptive, t-test and regression analyses were conducted to analyze the collected data.

Findings

The findings revealed significant correlations among lecturers' e-learning attitudes, readiness and anxiety. Specifically, significant relationships were observed between lecturers' e-learning attitudes and readiness, lecturer’s e-learning readiness and anxiety, as well as lecturers' e-learning anxiety and e-learning attitudes. Moreover, a notable difference was detected in the mean scores of e-learning attitudes between male and female lecturers, indicating that male lecturers exhibited more positive e-learning attitudes compared to their female counterparts. Additionally, male lecturers reported lower levels of e-learning anxiety and demonstrated higher readiness to embrace e-learning compared to female lecturers.

Research limitations/implications

The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant limitations for this study. Firstly, due to restrictions on in-person interactions and mobility, conducting a pilot study was not feasible, which may have impacted the refinement of our methodologies. Additionally, the number of participants was limited as a result of challenges in recruitment and accessibility during the pandemic, potentially affecting the generalizability of our findings. Future research efforts should aim to mitigate these constraints and consider alternative methods for data collection to enhance the robustness of the results. Another research implication is the need to explore, through a qualitative approach, the lecturer’s use of e-learning and perception of the process, outcome and needs or areas of improvement. This could unearth deeper issues that threaten the effective transition to and use of e-learning by higher education teachers.

Practical implications

Overall, our findings illuminate the importance of targeted policy and practice interventions to address attitudes, readiness and anxiety among lecturers, facilitating the successful implementation of e-learning initiatives within Nigerian higher education institutions.

Social implications

The study underscores implications for e-learning integration, emphasizing the importance of considering various human and social factors alongside technical aspects.

Originality/value

This study adds to the existing literature by examining the level of lecturers' attitudes, readiness and anxiety toward the adoption of mandatory e-learning in schools and how these variables relate to drawings on a Nigerian sample.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2024

Christian Ehiobuche

The effect of vicarious learning during clinical or medical internships on graduates' adaptive career behaviours has attracted scant attention from healthcare researchers…

Abstract

Purpose

The effect of vicarious learning during clinical or medical internships on graduates' adaptive career behaviours has attracted scant attention from healthcare researchers, particularly, in the developing world context. Drawing upon the social cognitive career theory model of career self-management (SCCT-CSM), the current study examines how vicarious learning influences the clinical graduates' adaptive career behaviours (i.e. career exploration and decision-making) via career exploration and decision-making self-efficacy (CEDSE) and career intention.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 293 nursing graduates undertaking clinical internships in 25 hospitals across Nigeria who willingly participated in this study as they were also assured of confidentiality at two-waves. The proposed hypotheses were tested using a path analysis.

Findings

The findings showed that vicarious learning during clinical internship had a direct effect on career exploration, decision-making and career decision self-efficacy among graduate trainees. Also, the findings revealed that the effects of vicarious learning on the graduates' career exploration and career decision-making were significantly mediated by career decision self-efficacy and career intentions.

Practical implications

The findings of this study have important practical implications for higher education institutions and industries that send and receive clinical graduates for clinical internships to gain more skills. More emphasis should be on encouraging learners to learn vicariously in addition to other forms of learning experiences available during clinical internships.

Originality/value

The study explains that the graduates' higher engagement in clinical career exploration and decision-making was based on a higher level of vicarious learning during internships. The results suggest that higher education institutions and healthcare service providers can derive greater benefits from more emphasis on promoting vicarious learning during clinical internships.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

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