The low level of interest in research work shown by Nigerian students as a
whole cannot be over emphasized. Most student find it difficult and time
consuming to carry out a proper research work. In this article, we shall be
looking at the causes of this low level of interest in research works, the
effects it is having on our students in the universities, society and on
our economy as a whole and also the possible solutions to this challenge.
According to the United States national library of medicine, research is a
human activity based on the use of intellects to investigate, interpret and
revise human knowledge about different aspects of the world. I would define
a research as a process of inquiring facts and information from sources, as
well as theories, principles and studying this information in order to
reach a conclusion with new and acceptable facts.
Causes of low research methodology among science students There are so many
causes of low research interest generally among students in Nigerian
universities but this write up will be focused on the ones affecting
science students generally.
A science student might lose interest in carrying out researchwork when
there are no materials and equipment to work with in the area where the
research is supposed to be carried out. Unavailability of research
materials would certainly hinder a student to properly carry out a research
course in which he/she has been assigned. Students that are well equipped,
who possess adequate research materials will likely excel or show more
interest in research works than those who are not provided with such
facilities. Have you ever wondered why the Europeans are so better than we
Africans? It is not because they have the brightest minds, it is because
they have all the necessary materials and equipment to carry out such
research while we their African counterparts, often regarded as
underdeveloped countries, has little or no research materials to work with.
In 1994 some group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
researchers developed a robot that can learn exercises from a physical
therapist, guide a patient through them and, record biomedical data on the
patient’s conditions and progress. This could only have been achieved by
having the best of facilities at your disposal, not just the brightest
minds.Secondly, a research work requires funding. When a researcher begins
research and he/she is not adequately funded, such a researcher is bound to
lose interest in such research work. Most times researchers have to travel
from countries to countries just to get information on their research
works, they need to employ the brightest minds to help carry out such
research and they also need the best facilities available. In 2016
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) estimated its operating
expenditures (in millions), the statistics are as follows; 43% sponsored
research $1498.8, 1% MIT Alumni association $17.2, 4% auxiliary enterprises
$154.3, 25% general and administrative $865.3 while unsponsored research is
27% at $928.4 which lives us with the conclusion that for a research to be
successful, it has to be duly funded. In Nigeria most research works and
researchers sponsor their research works personally. Which often lead to
the researchers going bankrupt. A scientific research requires more
practical than theory, it requires the use of sophisticated machines and
equipment to carry out this research. This is why most science students
often loose interest in carrying out a research work.
A Hungarian scientist (Albert Szent-Gyorqzi) said “research is four things:
brains with which to think, eyes with which to see, machines with which to
measure and, fourth, money”.
Another cause of this challenge is low level of understanding in the
field of which the research is to be carried out. This is often caused by
little or no zeal for the course of study. A student that shows no passion
for his studies, often tend to not do well in research work as compared to
students who treats their studies as the primary thing. Low level of
understanding may also arise when there is poor teaching, due to a gap
between materials used to teach and evaluation instruments, especially
those used for international purposes. These gaps have to be bridged. Most
materials for study are made by wolves dressed in sheep’s skin. These
materials are usually substandard, designed only for the selfish interest
of the author, designed specifically to make money but not to impact
knowledge. This material often contains wrong theories, facts and figures.
This can mislead a student when taking on a research work.
We can also blame the poor curriculum in most universities it is
such that is completely out of tune with the requirements of modern times,
thus, majority of Nigerian graduates can’t compete with their peers
anywhere in the world. It is quite disconcerting to note that majority of
our universities are out of tune with what’s happening in the rest of the
world. You can imagine that some of the courses which were taught some five
decades ago are still being taught with little or no innovations. Are we
saying there are no new changes in those fields? You can't rely on jaded
ideas to carry out a research work.
We shall now look into the effects of low research interest among science
students in Nigerian universities. The level of scientific research is one
of the factors that distinguish a developed country from an undeveloped
one. So when there is low interest among students, it has a great effect on
the educational system, the nation and its development. Some of these
effects are;
Research misconducts amongst scientific researchers in Nigerian
universities. This is caused by the need to carry out a research just to
pass a course of study. Concerns about research wrongdoing in biomedical
research are growing in universities of developing countries, where
research ethics training and research regulatory systems are just emerging.
Research misconduct is commonly understood to include FFP---falsification
(altering research processes, or recording or reporting wrong results),
fabrication (inventing and recording or reporting results), and plagiarism
(taking the words, ideas, or data of others or self and reporting them
without giving due credit). In a first-time study in Africa, medical/dental
researchers in two Nigerian universities were interviewed on a wide range
of research wrongdoings and potential predictors. Using multivariate
logistic regression, significant predictors of research wrongdoings were
identified. Of the total 132 participants, 72 (54.6%) admitted at least one
research wrongdoing.
It also deprives scientists of knowledge that could help them address many
of the symptoms of national underdevelopment. science and technology are
key drivers to development, because technological and scientific
revolutions underpin economic advances, improvements in health systems,
education and infrastructure. So a nation that carries out little or no
scientific research will have little or no access to up-to-date research
materials from other countries. This slows down the rate at which a country
develops.
An essay is only complete when you provide solutions to the challenges
you’ve highlighted. In this part we shall be looking at the possible
solutions and how we can curb this challenge and ways by which we can
reduce it to the minimum. This challenge can be solved by the following
ways;
The government needs to show much interest in research works in Nigeria,
they need to fund research works. By some tallies, almost two-thirds of the
technologies with the most far-reaching impact over the last 50 years
stemmed from federally funded R and D at national laboratories and research
activities. A researcher said “it turns out that advancing equal
opportunity and economic empowerment is both morally right and good
economics, because discrimination, poverty and ignorance restricts growth,
while investments in education, infrastructure and scientific and
technological research increase it, creating more good jobs and new wealth
for all of us.”
Secondly, institutional structures should be set up to promote and make
provision for detecting, reporting, and investigating suspected and known
wrongdoings in an arrangement that protects the informant. Detection of
research wrongdoing is necessary in order to frustrate the intentions of
offenders, penalize them, and eventually deter intending offenders.
So also, training in research ethics with emphasis on responsible conduct
of research is urgently required. Some problem-based stepwise educational
approaches that involve challenging trainee to be more imaginative and creative
need to be created. Mentoring by senior researchers would be useful if the
mentors are knowledgeable, skilled, and exemplary.
Government should also take up the responsibility of funding our
universities so that current textbooks can be accessed from the libraries
of our respective universities. This helps to boost the educational system
of Nigeria and provides us with the right information to compete with our
peers from other part of the world.
In conclusion, we science students must take it as a task to embark on a
research work irrespective of the circumstances and hindrances. It is only
by carrying out research and inventing acceptable facts that we the
scientists from Nigeria can actually measure up with our counterparts in other countries.

Your article is good but your arrangement isn't. You need to arrange your words and paragraph them when necessary. You also need to cite and reference authors as many are not referenced or cited.

Noted. Thanks

Good write up, work on your logical coherence.

It is bad that people do not want to take part. It would help them develop. Because without this you are doomed in writing a master's thesis. Then you will have to ask for the help of other people. I can tell you where you can find a service that will help in solving problems related to studies.

@idrisreal002 , Permission to share on our blog with due credit?

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paulstrings:
@idrisreal002 , Permission to share on our blog with due credit?

yes you have my permission