EFFECTIVENESS

Introduction: Dysphagia is a prevalent and life-threatening condition after an acute stroke. It causes under-nutrition, dehydration, and aspiration pneumonia. Besides, while swallowing therapy is conventional, other therapies such as electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) are being researched on how they can boost swallowing recovery. Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of EMS in conjunction with swallowing therapy and routine swallowing therapy among patients with dysphagia who had undergone acute stroke. Methods: This research involved a quasi-experimental study done at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Thirty-two patients who had undergone an acute stroke with dysphagia were chosen purposively into either the intervention group (n=22) or the control group (n=10). The intervention group underwent EMS treatment and routine swallowing therapy (swallowing exercises, positioning, and diet modification) for four weeks, while the control group had routine swallowing therapy alone. Evaluation of swallowing function before and at the end of four weeks was done using the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS). Results: Highly significant improvement was observed among the intervention group participants (p < 0.001) as compared to the improvement among the control group participants (p = 0.011). Nonetheless, the Mann-Whitney U-test indicated a statistical significance between the final FOIS scores of both groups (U = 64.00; p = 0.043). In terms of their final FOIS scores, the intervention group had a mean score of 5.55 ± 1.47 while the control group had a mean score of 3.80 ± 2.25. Conclusion: From the results of this research, it can be concluded that routine swallow therapy is effective while the use of EMS yields significantly better results for swallowing function among patients with stroke-related dysphagia. Key Words: Stroke, Dysphagia, EMS, Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS).

This study investigated the effectiveness of school leadership styles in promoting learning outcomes: a case study of public secondary schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. To achieve the purpose of the study, four research questions were raised and examined. The sample size was made up of 120 respondents. The questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. An analysis of data was done using mean and standard deviation. The findings from the study include that transformational, charismatic, transactional school leadership style significantly promotes learning outcomes in public secondary schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. It was concluded that there is a significant relationship between school leadership styles and students’ learning outcomes in public secondary schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. The study recommended among others that secondary school principals should avoid the use of autocratic leadership and embrace transformational and charismatic leadership style.

In the competitive market of goods and services, language plays a pivotal role in attracting the target audience, customers and residents within the Benin metropolis. It is against this backdrop that the study assesses the effectiveness of the use of Pidgin English language by brands in the promotion of their products and services among residents of the Benin Metropolis. Through a comprehensive approach incorporating quantitative surveys, data were collected from the residents of Benin metropolis. Findings revealed that the use of Pidgin English in advertisements by some brands
seem more persuasive than advertisements made with the standard English language within the Benin Metropolis. Based on the findings, the researcher concluded that the adoption of the use of Pidgin English by brands to reach out to a wider audience and also make relatable advertisements would resonate with the target audience experiences in order to capture their attention and make more sales