Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Research Fund/Overcoming challenges of introducing Wikipedia in Nigeria classroom (2022-23)
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Overview
editApplicant(s)
- Obiageli Ezeilo and Anthonia Nwokoye
Affiliation or grant type
- Igbo Language and Culture Institute; Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Author(s)
- Obiageli Ezeilo and Anthonia Nwokoye
Wikimedia username(s)
- Obiageli Sussan Ezeilo User: Oby Ezeilo
Anthonia Nkechinyere Nwokoye User: Nkechinyere Nwokoye
Project title
- Overcoming challenges of introducing Wikipedia in Nigeria classroom (2022-23)
Research proposal
editDescription
editDescription of the proposed project, including aims and approach. Be sure to clearly state the problem, why it is important, why previous approaches (if any) have been insufficient, and your methods to address it.
Educational institutions in Nigeria do not use Wikipedia as an OER even when most of them do not have access to subscription-based online resources or sufficient books in their library. Students are directed not to use Wikipedia in their research. To address this, we propose research on why educational institutions do not use Wikipedia and how it can be remedied. The research will identify challenges inhibiting the use of Wikipedia for teaching and learning including any government policies that created this situation. It will also determine whether the availability of Nigerian local languages content in Wikipedia will improve the acceptance of Wikipedia. At the conclusion, it will document the research process, data collected and analysed, the existing and perceived challenges etc in a Report and produce a Manual which will propose steps to be taken by different stakeholders to overcome the identified challenges and introduce Wikipedia in Nigerian classroom. The research will be led by a Project Team. We will adopt a hybrid approach: focus group discussions and survey. A Focus Group committee of the Project Team will hold meetings and interview key personnel in government agencies responsible for making educational policies, educational institutions,some universities, trade unions and other stakeholders. They are to obtain information and documents on what inhibits the use of Wikipedia as an OER. They will find out whether there are government or university policies, circulars, pronouncements etc that directs or discourages the use of Wikipedia in educational institutions and what need to be done to remove any of those challenges. They will also urge/lobby the leadership of these bodies to understand Wikipedia and accept it as an OER. There will also be a survey which will be carried out in 4 universities located in different regions of Nigeria representing its different tribe, language, religion and culture. The survey in each of these universities will be carried out by a project sub team which will be headed by a member of the Project Team. Data collected from the group discussions and the survey will be processed by the Project Team and a sub-committee of the Project Team will retire to a retreat where they will develop the Report and Manual.
Personnel
edit- Associate Professor Chigozie Nnabuihe is resident in Nigeria. He is of the University of Lagos and a member of Council of the Institute. He will serve as a member of the Project Team and head the Project Sub Team at the University of Lagos, Lagos State.
- Dr. Chiemezie Atama (Username: Chiemezie Atama) is resident in Nigeria. She is a Senior lecturer and a researcher at the Department of Sociology & Anthropology University of Nigeria. She will serve in the Project Team, the Report and Manual Writing Committee and head the Project Sub Team at the University of Nigeria
- Betrand Ezeilo (Username: Obihoja) reside in Nigeria. He is a director at the Nigerian Copyright Commission and a member of the Institute. He will head the Focused Group Committee.
- Mr Collin Nweke resides in Nigeria. He is a member of the Institute and will head the project secretariate
Budget
editApproximate amount requested in USD.
- 43,000 USD
Budget Description
Briefly describe what you expect to spend money on (specific budgets and details are not necessary at this time).
The budget will be spent on (1) different meetings of the Project Team. (2) travelling expenses for members of the focus group committee. (3) Producing survey material and administering the survey. (4) Research time for design, data analysis, report writing, research assistants. (5) Retreat for the Report and Manual Writing Committee. (6) open access publishing cost. (7) Printing and dissemination of manual and report.
Impact
editAddress the impact and relevance to the Wikimedia projects, including the degree to which the research will address the 2030 Wikimedia Strategic Direction and/or support the work of Wikimedia user groups, affiliates, and developer communities. If your work relates to knowledge gaps, please directly relate it to the knowledge gaps taxonomy.
The study will facilitate and guide the introduction of Wikipedia in Nigerian educational institutions. With a population of over 200 million and a median age of about 18 years, Nigerian youth population can better be reached through the schools. It will increase the chances of more youth joining the Wikipedia movement, increase contributions and usage of Wikipedia and generally enhance free knowledge and facilitate the effort of the four Wikimedia User groups in Nigeria. The research will therefore increase the sustainability of WMF movement not only by increasing contribution and knowledge equity but by advancing favourable public policy, outreach and advocacy.
Dissemination
editPlans for dissemination.
The Report and Manual will be released in a major press briefing with participation of Nigerian user groups. It will be sent to all the agencies that participated in the research; government agencies; all universities, polytechnics and colleges of education; Federal and different State Ministries of Education, trade unions, members of National Assembly etc. There will be future articles and social media influencers. It will be in different Wiki projects and mailed in different mailing lists.
Past Contributions
editPrior contributions to related academic and/or research projects and/or the Wikimedia and free culture communities. If you do not have prior experience, please explain your planned contributions.
Obiageli Ezeilo has been a teacher for over 30 years, a founding member of Igbo Wikimedia User Group; a Test Wiki Administrator; a graduate of the Wikipedia Greenhouse Education Project and a certified trainer, Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom. Professor Nwokoye is of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. Associate Professor Nnabuihe is of the University of Lagos. Dr. Atama is a Senior lecturer and a researcher at the Department of Sociology & Anthropology University of Nigeria where she teaches research methods. She is also a Senior Research Fellow at Gender and Development Studies Research Group at the University of Nigeria. Betrand Ezeilo is a copyright lawyer and a director at the Nigerian Copyright Commission.
I agree to license the information I entered in this form excluding the pronouns, countries of residence, and email addresses under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. I understand that the decision to fund this Research Fund application, the application itself along with all the information entered by my in this form excluding the pronouns, country of residences, and email addresses of the personnel will be published on Wikimedia Foundation Funds pages on Meta-Wiki and will be made available to the public in perpetuity. To make the results of your research actionable and reusable by the Wikimedia volunteer communities, affiliates and Foundation, I agree that any output of my research will comply with the WMF Open Access Policy. I also confirm that I have read the privacy statement and agree to abide by the WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
- Yes