Assessment of Back of the Book Indexes in Natural Science Books Published in Nigeria
Assessment of Back of the Book Indexes in Natural Science Books Published in Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to assess the back of the book indexes in Natural Science books published in Nigeria. But the specific objectives of the study were to determine: how indexes are provided in the Natural Science texts sampled; the extent to which basic indexing elements are provided;
the depth of indexing; the filing and arrangement pattern of the index entries and finally, if differences exist in the indexes of secondary school texts and tertiary/general Science books.
Four research questions guided the study, and a structured checklist was adopted and used to obtain information to answer the research questions. A descriptive design using document examination was adopted for this research. The researcher used the accidental sampling technique to sample books in the Natural Sciences.
All the books published in the Natural Sciences in Nigeria within the period 1990 – 2010 constituted the population of the study. Sixty books were sampled, 35 of which had indexes, while 25 of them had no index.
The data collected were organized in tables and analyzed, using simple percentages, frequencies and histogram. The findings revealed that: many Nigerian published books in the Natural Sciences lack back-of-the-book indexes; most index entries lack sub-headed entries and semantic relationship;
cross-references – ‘see’ and ‘see also’ were very few; the filing order and arrangement patterns of the index entries were in line with international standards and no outstanding differences were found in the indexes of secondary school texts and tertiary /general Science books.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page …………………………………………………………………………………………….. i
Approval Page ……………………………………………………………………………………… ii
Certification Page ………………………………………………………………………………….. iii
Dedication …………………………………………………………………………………………… iv
Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………………. v
Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………………………. vi
List of Tables………………………………………………………………………………………… vii
List of figures ………………………………………………………………………………………. viii
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………….. x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ……………………………………………………………………….. 1
Statement of the Problem………………………………………………………………………… 8
Purpose of the Study………………………………………………………………………………. 9
Research Questions ……………………………………………………………………………….. 9
Significance of the Study………………………………………………………………………… 10
Scope of the Study…………………………………………………………………………………. 11
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Conceptual Framework…………………………………………………………………………… 13
BOB Indexes in Locally Published Books in Nigeria …………………………………… 17
Basic Indexing Elements ………………………………………………………………………… 19
Review of Empirical Studies……………………………………………………………………. 28
Summary of Literature review …………………………………………………………………. 31
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS
Research Design …………………………………………………………………………………… 33
Area of Study ………………………………………………………………………………………. 33
Population …………………………………………………………………………………………… 34
Sample and Sampling Technique …………………………………………………………….. 35
Instrument for Data Collection…………………………………………………………………. 35
Validation of the Instrument …………………………………………………………………… 36
Method of Data Collection ……………………………………………………………………… 36
Method of data Analysis ………………………………………………………………………… 37
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS …………….. 39
Summary of Findings ……………………………………………………………………………. 52
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS
AND SUMMARY
Discussion of Findings ………………………………………………………………………….. 54
Implication of findings …………………………………………………………………………… 62
Recommendations ………………………………………………………………………………. 63
Limitations of the Study …………………………………………………………………………. 64
Suggestions for Further Research …………………………………………………………….. 65
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………… 65
References …………………………………………………………………………………………… 68
Appendix …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 72
INTRODUCTION
The concept of book is derived from an early English word boc, which means tablet or written sheets. A book consists of written or printed sheets of paper or some other material fastened together along one edge so it can be opened at any point. Most books have protective cover.
According to Ellenbogen (2004) Books are inexpensive and convenient way to store, transport, and find knowledge and information.
There are different forms of books, namely, story books, textbooks, workbooks, comic books, novels, almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedia, telephone books, etc. But the Natural Science books and the general Science books or general non-fiction fall under the category of books regarded as textbooks
The Natural Science is a systematized body of knowledge based on observation and experimentation. It deals with the phenomena of the universe and its laws – physical and natural.
This branch of study is especially distinguished from the arts due to its empirical method of enquiry. The subject disciplines studied under natural science include: Physics-(Phy), Astronomy- (Astr), Chemistry-(Chem), Biology-(Biol), Geology-(Geol), Paleontology- (Paleo), Zoology-(Zoo), Botany-(Bot) and Microbiology-(MCB); (LCSH: Schedule, 1996).
With information explosion, (i.e. an extensive increment in the field of knowledge and knowledge output in different disciplines) especially in the Natural Sciences and their concomitant complex concepts;
compounded with the increasing reservoir of both books and non-books (that is, on-line documents) that contain the information in demand, information retrieval has become a daunting problem.
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CSN Team.
