Undergraduates’ Perception of Corruption and Materialism among Lecturers and its Implication for Socio-Civic Studies in Nigeria

Abstract

 Corruption, which is a deviation from the accepteable social ideals has extended its tentacle to the educational sector. Several indices today have portrayed the higher institution as a system that needs sanitation. This study, therefore examined the perception of students toward corruption and materialism among university lecturers in Kwara state. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The study population consists of all students from the three Universities out of the four Universities in Kwara State, Nigeria. The sample was made up of 360 students selected across the three Universities through purposive sampling technique from the Faculties of Education who are pre-service teachers. Data was collected using a structured researcher-designed questionnaire titled “Lecturers Corrupt Practices” Scale (LCPS). The questionnaire was pilot-tested using split-halve method and PPMC was used to determine the reliability co-efficient of 0.64. Findings from the study revealed that: corruption among university lecturers in Kwara State is moderate; there was no significant difference in students’ perception about University lectuers’corrupt practices on the basis of their gender and religion. The paper, therefore, submits that the panacea to these ills in the university is through socio-civic studies.