Nigeria. An expo facto research design was adopted. 108 respondents were sampled from the 3 selected universities from Northern, Western and Earthen Nigerian. A self-designed questionnaire was used to elicit in formation from the sampled respondents and data collected were coded and analyzed in line with the four generated research hypotheses using Person Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient. The findings show that teacher, parent, student factors and job opportunities are determinants of students' choice of History of Education in the Nigerian Universities. At last, recommendation such as the need for National Universities Commission to enforce law for all the universities in Nigeria offering teacher education programme to employ experts in History of Education to teach the course, as this will improve the students' interest in the course and provide for the experts in the field. # I. Background to the Study he history of Western Education has been documented by Fafunwa (1974), Osokoya (1987), Taiwo (1980), Boyd (1960) and a host of others. All the historians of Education agreed that the history of Western Education in Nigeria dates back to 24th September, 1842, with the arrival of Revd. Birch Freeman and Mr. and Mrs. De Graft of Wesleyan Methodist Church at Badagry. Other Missions who later joined in educational provisions included the Church Missionary Society, the Roman Catholic and Presbyterian Mission. However, their efforts had great educational impact on Nigeria. Since the inception of formal Western Education in Nigeria, Education has been the only instrument for effecting national growth and reduction of poverty. Perhaps, the publication of the National policy on Education in Nigeria in March 1977 further strengthened the relevance of Western Education for sustainable national development. No wonder the Federal Government of Nigeria in National Policy on Education (2004), stipulates that Education has been adopted as an instrument per excellent for effecting national development. Thus, investment in education is notified by optimistic assumptions. The first being that an educated population contributed to the socio-economic development of the society as a whole and the second that education contributes to the well being of the individuals within the society (Schultz, 1980). This widespread belief that education is a major means of achieving industrialization permeates the world and both technologically developed and developing countries attempt to design educational programmes to achieve their economic goals (Osokoya, 2008). The enhanced education of its population has been the goal of every country seeking to enhance the productivity of its people. In Nigeria therefore, the importance of education made the government to adopt the system of education which is broad enough to give the citizens ample opportunities to choose courses of their choice. At the University level, the curriculum cut across sciences, social sciences, management science, Arts, Education, etc. Therefore, the students' choice of the above areas is determined and hampered by one factor or the other. Similarly, the students' academic performance, achievement and learning outcome in the mentioned disciplines is connected to vast factors, such as teachers factors (qualifications, experience personal characteristics), students factors (ability level, selfconcept, maturity), parents factors to mention but a few. Therefore, history of education as one of the general education courses and an area of specialization at post graduate level is scarcely or rarely being offered by the students. This perhaps is connected to the small number of students specializing in the area as well as absolutely small personnel in the area, compared to other disciplines. It is in the light of the above that the researchers deem it fit to examine Teacher, Parent, Students factors and Job opportunities as determinants of students' choice of history of education in selected universities in Nigeria. # Statement of the Problem A cursory look at the students' enrolment at Post Graduate level in Nigeria Universities revealed low number of students specializing in History of Education. Similarly, there are speculations that Teacher, parent, student factors and job opportunities are determinants of students' choice of History of Education. There is however, the need to ascertain the extent to which the above assumptions are true. It is in this regard that this study examines Teacher, parent, student factors and job opportunities as determinants of students' choice of History of Education in selected Universities in Nigeria. # III. # Research Hypotheses For the purpose of this study, the following null hypotheses are formulated: H0 1 : There is no significant relationship between parent factors and students' choice of History of Education in Nigerian Universities. H0 2 : There is no significant relationship between teacher factors and students' choice of History of Education in Nigeria Universities. H0 3 : There is no significant relationship between student factors and their choice of History of Education in Nigeria Universities. The study ought to have considered all the universities in Nigeria but because of time and financial constraints; it is limited to selected universities in Nigeria. The universities selected are: V. # The Meaning of History of Education According to Osokoya (1989), the field of Educational history is a very wide area of history. He furthered that it is concerned with the study of how societies have transmitted culture from one generation to another. It is also the study of how Education became a tool of problem solving activity and its evolution down the ages. History of Education is a subdiscipline, focussing on the historical aspects of the educational system of a society. In his own submission, Abrahams (2004) defined history of Education as the systematic study of record of all the policies, efforts and their consequences with particular reference to the way and manner societal culture is being transmitted from one generation to another. It also refers to the sequence of events designed by a society for the socialization of its young ones. According to Taiwo (2003), history of Education in Nigeria embodies the development of Education at various levels and the growth of knowledge and ideas that have been serving as bases for that development in Nigerian educational system. It takes into account the knowledge of the traditional or indigenous educational system, the Islamic system of Education and the Western system of Education. It also distinguishes between formal, informal and non-formal types of Education. # VI . Some Categories of Historians of Education Without necessary falling into the excess of a rigid typology, there is the propensity for historians of Education to prefer one approach, one kind of subject matter, as, one particular way of managing and interpreting data that concern their calling. This leads to the categorization of these historians of education into the following, depending on their orientation: a) The Scholar : This one Historians of Education has been activity research into both hold but especially new sources of documentation. His ambition is either to provide working instruments or collections of intellectual picture as precise and complete as possible of some doctrine work, institutions or educational practice. He funds a treasure, race documents rich with premises, but does not take even a broad remain like the parachutist. The scholar historian of Education synthesizes, basing his analysis on the work of scholarship in painting broad canalises whether synchronic or diaphonic of suns educational institutions are in certain cases outline the laws underlining their trends. b) The philosophical Historian of Education : Basic to the precincts of his scope is the analysis of the work of major educational writers. He does this in order to extract for intelligible discuss the evolution of the goals of Education to follow the changes which have occurred in the understanding of an attitude to learners. The heritage of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Evasmels, etc. become significant. Many historians are rather interested in the study and analysis of the working of a particular sectors of the Education system such could for example be aspects of education relating to the recruitment, curriculum etc. expressed interims of the functions fulfilled by the school, the conclusion of such sociological Historians of Education serve to feed the couturiers regarding the 'new history'. Sociological historians may also be interested in the statistics of educational growth and development viz the level of Education among Farmers, the Police, army, etc. prevalence of adult Education and correspondence, out of school opportunities, gender issues into a particular epoch, etc. VII. # Qualities of Historians of Education As with other professional like medical doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc, Historians of Education need to passes certain qualities. According to Abraham (2004). A few of these are listed below: i. A profound knowledge, an the basis of original sources, of at least one sector of the history of Education. ii. A good knowledge of world history form an ancient time to the present day. iii. An extensive knowledge of the history of Education with respect to ideals, institutions, individuals, practises, and results. iv. A liberal Education including literature, aesthetics, philosophy, the psychology of Education, mathematics, etc. v. A mastery of historical research methods. vi. Acknowledge of the history of historiography. vii. The ability to read easily the languages used in the writing of history. viii. The possessions of the knowledge and capacity needed to carry on a dialogue implied by the strengthening at links between history of education and other human sciences. V III. # Research Methodology a) Research Design Ex-post facto research design was employed in this study. According to Kerlinger (1976), descriptive research is the collection of data in order to answer research questions (hypotheses) on the subject matter of research project. # b) Population The population for this study includes parents, teachers, students and the stakeholders in Education. # c) Sample and Sampling Techniques Of all the universities in Nigeria, three (3) universities were selected, one each form Northern, Western and Eastern region. 8 teachers (lecturers) and 50 students of Faculty of Education were selected form the 3 universities. Also, 50 parents were sampled by means of purposive sampling technique. On a whole, 108 respondents were sampled for his study. # d) Research Instrument Questionnaire was used to elicit information from the sample respondents. # e) Validity of the Instrument Face and content validity was employed. In that, copies of the questionnaires were given to experts for comments, suggestions and corrections. Their corrections were incorporated into the final copies before the instruments were finally and subsequently administered. # f) Reliability of the Instrument Cronbach Alpha analysis was adopted. In that, the questionnaires were administered on the sampled of respondents which were not part of the respondents used in the main study twice. Hence, scores from the first and second administration were correlated using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient. # g) Procedure for Data Collection The researchers personally went to the sample schools and administered the questionnaires. The questionnaire for the parents was administered with the help of the students. This personal effort of the researchers enabled them to interpret and explain part of the items of the questionnaire to the respondents and this yielded high rate of return of the questionnaire. # h) Method of Data Analysis Data collected from the respondents were collated and coded. Hence, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient was used to analyse the data in line with the earlier formulated research hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. IX . As indicated in table 2 above, the r-calculated value of 1.366 is greater than the r-critical value of 0.196 at 0.05 level of significance and for 99 degree of freedom. Hence, the Null hypothesis is rejected. As shown in table 3 above, the r-calculated value of 0.268 is greater than the r-critical value of 0.196 at 0.05 level of significance and for 0.99 degree of freedom. Therefore, the null hypothesis is rejected. # Results and Discussion # Research Hypothesis Four (HO ): There is no significant relationship between student's interests and their choice of History of Education in Nigerian Universities. Research Hypothesis Three (HO ) : There is no significant relationship between students factors and their choice of History of Education in Nigerian Universities. As indicated in table 4 above, the r-calculated value of 0.757 is greater than the r-critical value of 0.196 at 0.05 level of significance and for 99 degree of freedom. Hence, the Null hypothesis is rejected. a) Discussion of Findings The tables presented above are hereby discussed as follows: It was discovered form research hypothesis one that there is significant relationship between parent factors and students' choice of History of Education in Nigerian Universities. This means that parents dictate, choices, etc influence the students' choice of History of Education. Some parents see History as inferior subject compared to other science and management related courses. Some prefer their children to offer uncreative courses like Banking and Finance, Accounting and others instead of History. Hence, all these beliefs of the parents influence their children choice of History of Education. This therefore make some children not to specialize in History of Education at higher Degree level because they belief their parents will vehemently frown at such a discipline. The research hypothesis two was also rejected. It means that there is a significant relationship between teacher factors and students choice of History of Education in Nigerian Universities. This follows that the qualification, experiences and the methodological approaches of the teachers in teaching History of Education go along way in influencing the students choice of History of Education. For example, if History of Education as a course is taught by competent lecturers with good and adequate methodology to facilitate the interest of the students, it helps to improve their choice of the course. However, if otherwise, the students' choice of History of Education will be negatively affected and hampered. Hence, there is need to encourage teachers at higher degree level to use various approaches that can facilitates the students' choice of History of Education at that level of Education. Research hypothesis three was also rejected by implication; it follows that significant relationships exist between students' factors and their choice of History of Education. This ranging from the perceptions of the students towards teaching and learning of History of Education to their opinions on the employability after offering such a course. Thus, if all the aforementioned are negative, it affects their choice of History of Education and vice versa. Similarly, research hypothesis four was rejected, meaning that there is a significant relationship between students' interests and their choice of History of Education. This means that the interests of the students, whether positive or negative go along way in influencing their choice of History of Education. It is therefore, important to note that the positive interests of the students positively influence their choice of History of Education while their negative interests hamper the choice of the course, History of Education. # X. Conclusion There is no gain saying the fact that various factors jeopardize the choice of History of Education at higher degree level. However, based on the outcomes of this study, it can be concluded that there was a significant relationship between teacher factors and students' choice of History of Education, parent factors and students' choice of History of Education, students factors and their choice of History of Education and students' interest and their choice of History of Education. Thus, teacher, parents, students factors and job opportunities are determinants of students' choice of History of Education in Nigerian Universities. # X I. Recommendations Teachers of History of Education in Nigerian Universities should ensure that appropriate and relevant teaching methods are employed to arouse the interests of the students on the course. Parents should be sensitized on the benefits of making their children to specialize on History of Education in the universities. The appropriate body like National Universities Commission (NUC) should enforce law that will make all the Nigerian universities having programme in teacher education to employ experts in History of Education to teach the course. This undoubtedly will help to create more job opportunities and prospects for the students offering the course at Higher Degree Level. 4![There is no significant relationship between students' interests and students' choice of History of Education in Nigerian Universities.IV. Scope and Limitation of the Study This study examines teacher factors, parent factors, student factors and job opportunities as determinants of students' choice of History of Education in Nigerian Universities. It focuses on the relationship between teacher factors and students' choice of History of Education, student factors and their choice of History of Education and job prospects and students' choice of History of Education in Nigerian Universities.](image-2.png "H0 4 :") Dr. B.O. LawalAbstract -This paper examined teacher, parent, studentfactors and job opportunities as determinants of students'choice of History of Education in selected universities in 1Universities.VariablesNXDfvalue r-calculatedr-critical value DecisionParent factors5018.7Students'5018.7Choiceof990.9460.196HO 1 : rejectedHistoryofEducation2 2Nigerian Universities.VariablesNXDfvalue r-calculatedr-critical value DecisionTeachers5023.8factorsStudents'5017.5991.3660.196HO 2 : rejectedChoiceofHistoryofEducation 42012Research Hypothesis Two (HO ) : There is no significant relationship between teacher factors andYearstudents' choice of History of Education in Nigerian Universities.4D D D D ) E(Universities.VariablesNXDfvalue r-calculatedr-critical value DecisionStudents'5020.2factorsChoiceof5019.8990.7570.196HO 4 : rejectedHistoryofEducation © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) © 2012 Global Journals Inc. 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