ATTITUDE OF UNDERGRADUATES TOWARDS CAMPUS POLITICS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA
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ATTITUDE OF UNDERGRADUATES TOWARDS CAMPUS POLITICS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
This study looked at undergraduates’ attitudes towards campus politics at a Nigerian institution. The study’s overall population is 200 students from the University of Nsukka in Enugu state.
The researcher collected data using questionnaires as the instrument. Descriptive This study used a survey research design. The study included 133 respondents who were final year students,
year 4 students, year 3 students, and year 2 students. The acquired data was organised into tables and analysed using simple percentages and frequencies.
CHAPITRE ONE – INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of The Study
Political participation as part of the higher education experience is not new. Educating citizens for democratic participation was a guiding idea in the establishment of universities in Nigeria. Political involvement, in the form of student activism, has been a feature of Nigerian colleges from their inception.
Nigerian activism peaked in the 1960s, with strong challenges to university governance and participation in statewide political organising. Political activism has evolved as well. Instead of street protests and nonviolent “sit-ins,” many students volunteer their time in activities that could be considered political.
Positive outcomes in other areas of civic engagement, such as community service and service learning, have increased and been shown to influence young people’s knowledge of why and
how they may make a difference in their communities (Lipka, 2007). However, these projects have not consistently showed a promotion of direct involvement of young people in politics (Jones, 2002).
Cross-sectional analyses of the population demonstrate that individuals who attended university are more liberal in their political and social perspectives, but this does not always imply that a university education socialises pupils.
University students are more likely to originate from higher social class backgrounds, and university graduates have higher income and occupational and social standing than their non-university age cohorts.
In addition, universities tend to attract people who have different perspectives than the general community (Jennings & Niemi, 1981). A university education may be more appealing to the more intellectual and those with stronger cognitive talents, but it may also be more appealing to those with a high level of care about the world’s issues.
Universities may also draw a disproportionate number of the ambitious, who consider a university education as the best path to personal success. Studies assessing changes in student attitudes while attending university have often revealed significant shifts towards more liberal positions (Dressel & Lehmann, 1965; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991).
Several investigations have found that these behavioural alterations are long-lasting (Newcomb, Koenig, Flacks, & Warwick, 1967; Weiner & Eckland, 1979).
Student politics frequently takes centre stage in the political lives of third-world countries. These are mostly political activities carried out by undergraduate and postgraduate students in institutes of higher education, primarily public universities and colleges, and can vary from minor disturbances to major upheavals in a nation’s political history.
However, the nature of student politics has changed over time, and especially after independence in many of the older colonies, student politics has tended to become increasingly involved with local issues. Furthermore, national political party student wings have grown very active and involved in university matters.
Unfortunately, political competition on campuses has resulted in conflict, which can be violent enough to raise alarms and generate concern among policymakers and civic society in general.
Students in higher education are a privileged and well-educated group of young people. They are involved in campus political activities in addition to studying other disciplines. Their political tendencies could endanger both the school and national politics.
When it comes to community concerns, policy, and leadership, their political participation will have an impact on the campus and national political scene. University is an important social institution that society looks up to since it creates a substantial share of the elite group or educated individual.
Despite its decline in industrialised nations, student political activism remains a critical concern in the Third World. Students in the social sciences are relatively easy to mobilise and frequently have a fundamental interest in political and social concerns (Altbach, 1984).
It is stated that student movements originate from their social and political surroundings, therefore it is unsurprising that activism remains a major force in the Third World.
Statement of the Problem
The consistent increase in Nigeria is evidence of students’ political education affected by the university environment. Activism among students. Students’ activism persists because students believe that the majority of citizens or their own parents are oppressed, possibly due to poverty or a lack of access to government, and that those parents who speak out are often ignored.
Furthermore, because universities rely on government for financing and policy direction, the political class has viewed itself as all-powerful over the years and has continued to exert control over the university system. The immediate reaction was primarily from Nigerian students, who saw this as a type of slavery and a loss of autonomy.
As a result, the students perceive themselves as saviours and reformers. In turn, the public views students as future leaders and the conscience of the nation. Based on this, the researcher wishes to explore undergraduates’ attitudes towards campus politics at a Nigerian institution.
Aim of the study
The study’s aims are as follows:
to look into the role of colleges in student political education.
To learn about university students’ attitudes about campus politics.
To determine whether political involvement at the university has an impact on student academic achievement.
research Hypotheses
The researcher developed the following research hypotheses in order to successfully complete the study:
H0: There is no student attitude towards campus politics at the university.
H1: There is a student attitude towards campus politics in university.
H02: Political engagement at the university has little effect on student academic achievement.
H2: Political engagement at the university has an impact on student academic performance.
The significance of the research
The study will have a tremendous impact on both pupils and the political sphere. The study will provide information on undergraduates’ attitudes towards campus politics at Nigerian universities.
The study will investigate whether a student’s political participation affects his or her academic achievement. The study will also be used as a resource for other academics who will be working on a similar problem.
The scope and limitations of the study
The study’s scope includes undergraduates’ attitudes towards campus politics at a Nigerian university. The researcher comes upon a constraint that limits the scope of the investigation;
a) RESEARCH MATERIAL AVAILABILITY: The researcher’s research material is insufficient, restricting the scope of the investigation.
b) TIME: The study’s time frame does not allow for broader coverage because the researcher must balance other academic activities and examinations with the study.
1.7 TERM DEFINITION
A fixed way of thinking or feeling about something is referred to as an attitude.
Student activism, often known as campus activism, is work done by students to effect political, environmental, economic, or social change. Some student protests are directed at the internal politics of a given institution, while others are directed against bigger causes such as war or dictatorship.
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