Arab Educational Information Network

The study identified the rationale for material selection in landscaping for checking intrusion in public and private primary schools in Nsukka urban, Enugu state, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Three research questions guided the study. The population for the study was 102 respondents comprising 82 public/private school teachers and 20 builders. Due to the manageable size of the population, there was no sampling as the entire population was used for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a 25-item questionnaire derived from literature reviewed. The instrument was validated by three experts from the Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Cronbach’s Alpha was used to determine the reliability of the instrument and a reliability coefficient of .85 was obtained. The data collected for this study was analyzed using mean and t-test. The findings revealed some rationale for material selection in landscaping for checking intrusion in public and private primary schools which includes; the durability, maintenance, aesthetic and cost of each landscaping material; the initial and ongoing costs, the availability of the material to be used and the life cycle assessment considerations such as material performance, and impact on the environment and the ability to reuse the material. The results of the study might be of interest to school principals and builders. The study reflects the common perceptions about landscaping to prevent intrusion into schools, and hence of practical implications to concerned education authorities in Nsukka urban, Nigeria. The study identified the effects of poor landscaping in public and private primary schools which include; exposure of schools to risk of attacks, theft and exposure of schools to ecological problems such as flooding, erosions, deep gullies and a degrading environment. (Published abstract)