Role of Indomie’s “Like No Other” Campaign in Cultivating Pester Power in the Children of Eleko Community, Lagos (Published)
‘Pester power’ as a marketing strategy used in targeting kids has been a controversial topic for ages. Critics express concern over its negative results such as parent-child conflict, health hazards from unhealthy food consumption, unethical manipulation of children, etc. This births the question – who or what cultivates ‘pester power’ in children? While some scholars attribute the cultivation of pester power to advertisers, others suggest that the concept is a socially driven phenomena that has existed long before the coinage of the term. This study is an attempt to explore the concept of ‘pester power’ and determine the factors responsible for its cultivation in children by using Indomie’s “like no other” campaign as its focus. From the prisms of the Cognitive Development Theory and the AIDA Model, the study examined the processes of cultivating pester power in the early developmental stages of children in Eleko Community, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State. Exploratory research design comprising of both quantitative and qualitative methods was used for this investigation. Data was gathered from 244 questionnaires as well as interviews of five parents in the Eleko community. Results of the research revealed that Indomie “like no other” advertisement, parents and other identified factors played contributory roles in cultivating the children’s pester power. Based on these findings, the study recommends that parents should exercise better control over the exposure of their children to television and the communication patterns they create at home. The study makes the case for a stronger regulation of advertisement contents that target children as consumers and for further research on this sensitive subject matter.
Keywords: cognitive development, communication patterns, indomie ‘like no other’, pester power, purchasing behavior, television commercials
Influence of Twitter on Cognitive Development of Nigerian Youths (Published)
This study was conducted to examine the influence of Twitter on cognitive development of Nigerian youths. Conceptual and empirical literatures were reviewed and the study was anchored on Social cognitive theory. The study adopted online survey research method (Google form) and used online Nigerian youths as respondents. A sample for the study was drawn using Morgan formula to draw a representative sample size of 384 from a population of 64,000,000 youths being the population of Nigerian youth. Availability sampling technique was adopted to administer questionnaire to respondents. Two research questions and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the proper investigation of the study. The quantitative data gathered from questionnaire were analyzed with the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) using tables and charts to further explained the result of the findings. Findings revealed that tweeters found Twitter very engaging and useful which resulted into its everyday usage; increasing their knowledge which aided their cognitive development. The researchers concluded that there is significant positive relationship between influence of Twitter and cognitive development of youths and therefore recommended that institutions of higher learning in Nigeria should use Twitter as educational and learning tool.
Keywords: Influence, Twitter, Youths, cognitive development
The Role of the Family in English Language Learning (Published)
This study investigates the role of family in English language learning particularly in Bangladesh. Family role is very important to grow the sense of learning in learners as they are greatly influenced by it. Parents’ positive attitude, education and awareness according to individual requirements and needs provide constant encouragement and support for the learners. Parents make the greatest difference to achievement through supporting their learning at home rather than supporting activities in school. A learner, whose family members are habituated to use English at home, feels encouraged to learn English which facilitates learning process. My findings, on the other hand, show that children of those parents who are unaware of providing sound family atmosphere lack confidence as well as self-esteem. This study also examines the impact of home environment on children’s achievement in English language. My findings reveal that there is consistent relationship between the role of family and students’ academic achievement.
Keywords: Competence, Cultural Capital, Family Role, Language Learning, Performance, Socio-Economic Status, cognitive development
The Geometric Thinking Levels of Senior High School Students in Ghana (Published)
This study was to measure the Van Hiele’s levels of geometric thinking attained by Ghanaian final year (SHS 3) students before leaving School. A quantitative research approach was employed in the study and sample of 200 students randomly selected from the three participated schools. The results showed that 42.5% of the students could not attain any VHG level at all, 33% of the students attained Van Hiele’s level 1, 22.5% reached level 2, 1.5% reached level 3 and only 0.5% reached level 4.The findings indicated that most of the Ghanaian SHS form 3 students do not attain any level of VHGT.
Keywords: Geometric Thinking, Geometry, Van Hiele’s Levels, Visualization, cognitive development
Language of Instruction in Kenya: Focus On Lower Primary in Schools in Rural Areas (Published)
The use of mother tongue as a language of instruction debate has been ongoing in Kenya as well as in other African countries with no consensus from researchers and policy makers. This paper focuses on the use of mother tongue in lower primary in schools in rural areas in Kenya and the reasons for deviations from guidelines that recommend the use of language of the catchment area in classes 1-3. This paper maintains that the use of mother tongue in the early years of schooling provides basic literacy skills necessary for learning in other subjects. Despite the benefits of use of mother tongue as the language of instruction in lower primary in schools in the rural areas, many primary schools in Kenya hardly use it for instruction. Not only does this paper recommend the use of mother tongue in lower primary in schools in rural areas in Kenya but also proposes that teachers perform the crucial role of enabling parents and other stakeholders in the education sector understand how mother tongue benefits the learner in the teaching learning process.
Keywords: Language of Instruction, Literacy, Mother tongue, Quality of Education, cognitive development, learner participation
