Nigeria, National Association for Exceptional Children Junior Academicsa Mentors and Quality Research Assurance
This study investigated National Association for Exceptional Children (NAEC) Junior academics’ mentors and quality research assurance. The study was all about members of NAEC in Nigeria who are junior academics and the status of their mentorship by senior academics and quality research assurance as a result in Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Purposive sampling technique was used to draw 24 paper presenters that are junior academics in the NAEC 2015 annual Conference held in Port Harcourt, River State of Nigeria. The sample was made up of junior academics that were drawn four each from among those on attendance from six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. All the states in Nigeria are zoned into six that guided the researcher in reaching the sample. An instrument for data collection named Junior Academics Mentors’ Activities for Quality Research Assurance Questionnaire (JAMAFQRAQ) was constructed by the researcher. The instrument was validated by experts in Special Education, Measurement and Evaluation and Guidance and Counselling. The reliability coefficient of .84 as a measure of internal consistency was established through the use of Cronbach Alpha statistical technique. Frequencies, percentages and means were the descriptive statistics used for analysis of data collected. The results showed that the junior academics of NAEC are not exposed nor made to have access to all the useful principle standards that could assure quality of their research works and their senior colleagues that are regarded as their mentors do not make available for them adequate supervision activities that can guarantee improved quality assurance of their research works. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations were made which include among others that it should be made a tradition in the NAEC annual conference that one of the lead papers should address strategies of assuring quality research by curious investigators and inculcation of mentorship spirits am
