UNN mass comm alumni gives continuing education to researchers

Members of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Mass Communication Alumni Association (Jacksonites) have said despite the ongoing ASUU strike, they have continued in their sustained drive to provide monthly continuing education training on mixed methods research for researchers in Nigerian universities.

One of the facilitators, Prof. Charles Okigbo, of North Dakota State University told participants at a webinar on “Qualitative Research Method” that qualitative research builds on the premise that not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted, counts.

He explained that qualitative research involves researchers trying to understand and explain what people do in their natural setting and putting themselves in the shoes of the research subjects.

Okigbo who is the pioneer Registrar and Chief Executive of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), further explained that qualitative research is open-minded: “We look for patterns in the data, rather than collecting data to test preconceived models, hypotheses, or theories. We go with the flow and explore all possibilities.”

In his presentation, Dr Nuhu Diraso Gapsiso of the University of Maiduguri, (UNIMAID), took participants through the fundamentals of doing qualitative research from choosing methodologies to collecting data, analysing it and writing the research.

Also, Prof. Bellarmine Ezumah of Murray State University, Kentucky presented further examples of qualitative research, giving an in-depth, using some research works from outside Nigeria, tagged ‘Toward a successful plan and implementation of educational technology in low-income communities.

In her closing remarks, the chairperson of the Jacksonites Professional Development Series Steering Committee, Prof. Chinedu Mba, of Algonquin College, Ottawa, noted that the series was the second in the 6-part series of seminars on mixed methods research under the Knowledge Hub brand of the JPDS which is “committed to building top scholars.

The event, moderated by Dr Chuks Enwerem of the National Open University, Abuja, Nigeria, was attended by postgraduate students and scholars across Nigeria.