Ekoh, Prince Chiagozie

2 Publications in AERD

Author Publications

Qualitative exploration of undergraduate social work students’ perceptions of sexual minorities in Nigeria

By Onuh, Samuel Chinedu

Nigeria has been observed as a country with cultures, religious beliefs and legislation that drive negative perceptions, discrimination and oppression of sexual minorities. This calls for the intervention of social workers with the mandate of ensuring social justice and the protection of minorities. We explored the perception of potential social workers in the penultimate and ultimate years about sexual minorities to highlight their preparedness for this undertaking. The data collected from 18 students using semi-structured interviews were coded with NVivo 12 and analyzed in themes. We found that 16 of the sampled 18 students had negative perceptions of sexual minorities, which resulted in the widespread endorsement of oppression and abuse of homosexuals. We also found that Nigeria’s social work education curriculum is limited in preparing students for practice with sexual minorities. We concluded by recommending a review of the social work education curriculum for more inclusive training. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

General Read More

Social work undergraduates students and COVID-19 experiences in Nigeria

By Ezulike, Chigozie Donatus

Following the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus disease and the increase in confirmed cases, the Nigerian government, imposed lockdowns, quarantines, and various social distancing measures to curb the rate of infection. Schools were closed, and examinations were postponed indefinitely. Students of private schools were able to resume academic activities online. However, most public schools could not do so, due to lack of infrastructure. This study aimed to qualitatively investigate the impacts of the novel coronavirus on final-year students of social work, at the University of Nigeria. Data was collected from 20 undergraduates using in-depth interviews. Findings showed that the pandemic had negative effects on different aspects of the students’ lives. It was also revealed that some of the students were resilient and were able to use various coping strategies to avoid being overwhelmed by the situation. A policy implication of this study is the need for revitalization of Nigerian public universities, as the continued lockdown of schools shows how public universities are poorly managed in the country. This poor management of public schools has made it impossible for a switch to virtual learning. © The Author(s) 2021.

General Read More