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This cross-institutional study investigated the student-centred, home, school and society related causes of absenteeism among 1000 undergraduate students from two public universities, 500 each from The University of the West Indies, (UWI), Cave Hill Campus, Barbados and The University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, Nigeria. Results revealed that the students were absent from lectures for student-centred, home, school and society related reasons and there were significant differences between UWI and UI students' reasons with school causes being the key factors for absenteeism among the students from both institutions. Additionally, gender differences were found among the Nigerian undergraduates' student-centred and school causes of absenteeism while gender did not affect the causes of absenteeism among the undergraduates in Barbados. These results were discussed with the hope of understanding and tackling absenteeism among the students from the two different institutions.

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This paper examines the hypothesis that St. Lucian primary school teachers' science teaching and learning beliefs and their applicability beliefs are stronger predictors of their science teaching strategies than their teacher education experiences. Quantitative procedures were used where the level of each belief construct as well as their underlying constructs was measured in each teacher in the population and a determination made as to their favourability towards inquiry-based instruction (IBI). The levels of a sample of these teachers' IBI practices were also determined using an observational rating scale. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine the extent to which teachers' beliefs serve as predictors of their IBI practices. The results showed that teachers' applicability beliefs were barely moderately favourable to their practice of IBI, while their beliefs about science teaching and learning were favourable. Their inquiry-based practices were found to be at the unsatisfactory developing inquiry level. While their science teaching and learning beliefs were found to be significant and moderately positive predictors of their inquiry-based instructional practices, their applicability beliefs seemingly functioned as a moderating variable that limited the effect of teachers' favourable science teaching and learning beliefs on their instructional practices. These findings are significant in that they show the detrimental effect school-based factors can have on teachers' instructional practices in science.