Predictors of Student Apathy Amongst Generation Z Estate Management Students in South-East Nigeria

While extant evidence suggests that Generation Z students are the dominant demography in universities, drivers of their apathetic behaviour toward traditional pedagogic offerings appear minimally researched. The criticality of this lacuna lies in empirical evidence citing linear relationships between apathy and reduced performance. This study ascertains the predictors of learning apathy amongst Generation Z students using Estate Management departments in Southeast Nigerian public universities as a case study. A descriptive research design was employed on 244 Generation Z students of Estate Management departments. Adapting the Theory of Planned Behaviour to allow for generation Z-preferred learning preferences, the Ordered Logit model was used to examine student apathy predictors in public universities. The logits report demonstrated the state of collaborative and simulated learning as significant predictors of student apathy. The findings delineated pathways for policy reengineering towards reduced apathy and improved satisfaction in universities. This is one of few studies at the fore of identifying learning apathy of Generation Z students of estate management departments in public tertiary institutions.


Introduction
Existing empiricisms have generated considerable delineations of apathy behaviour in corporate, civil service, manufacturing, tertiary education, healthcare and other establishments (Abd & Behadili, 2019;Glerum & Joseph, 2017;Le Heron et al., 2018;Schmidt et al., 2017;Starkstein & Leentjens, 2008).While there appears to be some sort of prevalence from the healthcare literature, non-healthcare avowals of the topic view it as a state of indifference or impassive behaviour an employee exhibits towards certain work characteristics.However, reviewing this literature also showed some skewness towards employee and consumer behaviour with an incommensurate particularity towards student demography.
The necessity of education for the development, growth and transformation of the global economy has led to the need for more empirical devotion to student apathy.While technological-enhanced learning holds promise, many African universities still lack adequate infrastructure and faculty training to fully adopt blended or online models (Saliba, 2023).Consequently, traditional learning modes remain prevalent at many universities across Africa where learning relies heavily on hardcopy textbooks and written notes with little incorporation of digital resources (Kanwar et al., 2018;Maphalala & Ajani, 2023).
Furthermore, the demographic landscape of African universities has undergone significant changes in recent years with the emergence of Generation Z (Gen Z) as the dominant student population (Bevan-Dye, 2016;Mendoza, 2018).Gen Z, typically defined as individuals born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, bring with them unique characteristics and perspectives that have distinct implications for higher education institutions in Africa (Gitau, 2019;Saxena & Mishra, 2021).For instance, having grown up with abundant access to technology, Sadouni (2023) argued that Gen Z has shorter attention spans and prefers visual, multi-modal content over static lectures.Thus, the inadequacy of digital integration and opportunities for participatory learning in traditional formats diminishes motivation and engagement for Gen Z students.
Consistently, the growing scale of Generation Z demography within the tertiary education community has overstretched predominant traditional methods in the developing world and has ushered in a critical need for a reengineering process.In agreement, Sun et al. (2021) and Szymkowiak et al. (2021) averred that teaching and management of Generation Zs demand methods that differ from those experienced by other age groups.Putting it into perspective, the inimitability of Generation Z about their predecessors infers that educators need new-age pedagogical interventions to cater to this group of learners (Saxena & Mishra, 2021;Zorn, 2017).
The implication is that where other generations read hardcopy books, generation Zs prefer softcopy (Nissi et al., 2020).While others submitted continuous assessments physically to educators, generation Zs prefer uploading theirs to a portal (Luttrell & McGrath, 2021).Whilst others experienced fieldwork as a means of complementing classroom activities, they prefer simulated and gamified learning (Obi-Aso, 2020;Saxena et al., 2021;Zain et al., 2021).;Even when others were examined individually during tests, generation Zs prefer collaborative presentations (Martin et al., 2019;Zorn, 2017).Finally, while others had physical interactions with their lecturers, generation Zs prefer the use of interactive applications such as e-messaging applications like WhatsApp, email and social media to engage their lecturers.
The corollary of the foregoing is that Gen Z students tend to have apathy towards traditional pedagogic offerings.In agreement, studies from Cheon and Reeve (2015), De Lay and Swan (2014), Denton (2005), Gillet et al, (2012) and Schlotfeldt (2018) asserted that student apathy is becoming a phenomenon and inadequate empirical attention in this regard is worrying.Interestingly, Mendoza (2018) and Stout (2023) confirm the existence of apathetic behaviour amongst Generation Z students.Accordingly, this reinforces the need for more empirical attention on this anomaly.Therefore, these preferences cannot be ignored in tertiary education planning, especially in consideration of the criticality of apathetic behaviour to learning performance and sustainability.This position is buttressed by Benders (2011: 2) who argued that "student apathy has risen to a level that places education in the United States at serious risks… and on a downward spiral".Thus, it must be identified and addressed to overcome the shortcomings it poses to education sustainability (Benders, 2011;Nissi et al., 2020;Szymkowiak et al., 2021;Zorn, 2017).
A comparison of the low literacy rate in Sub-Saharan Africa with other regions in the world (World Bank, 2022) suggests the issue is more critical to the Sub-Saharan region.Despite this urgency, the literature examined indicated there is a form of research inadequacy on student apathy about the region.The connection between student apathy as a significant source of low literacy rates globally (Benders, 2011;Bosserman, 2018;De Lay et al., 2014;Obi-Aso, 2020;Shlotfeldt, 2018), shows that investigating the determinants of this behaviour appeals to changing the narrative on it.Following this key recommendation, the study analyses Generation Z in line with the arguments on their sizeable student population that influence changes in the tertiary education sector (Balakrishnan, 2017;Findik et al., 2017;Lodesso et al., 2018;Obi-Aso, 2020;Wild & Heuling, 2020).Generation Z refers to persons born from 1997 onwards (Dimock, 2019;Schwieger a Ladwig, 2018) coinciding with the pervasiness of the Internet-of-Things like social media (Dhinakaran et al., 2020;Jaciow & Wolny, 2021).In this regard, certain reflections support the concentration on Generation Z.

Literature Review
The first aspect of the literature review examines non-healthcare apathy literature and learning preferences desired by the Generation Z population in Sub-Saharan Africa.The review of apathy literature considers the definitions and determinants of apathetic behaviour.The second thread of the review examines the behavioural characteristics of Generation Z demography, accounting for their learning preferences.

Apathetic Behaviour
Apathy-related literature is dominated by healthcare and clinical expositions of the concept.From this perspective, apathy refers to a generic neurocognitive psychiatric syndrome in the elderly causing reduced or absent stimulus responsiveness and self-initiated action (Ishii et al., 2009;Murphy, 2000;Massimo et al., 2018).The use of 'elderly' and 'clinical-related terms' in these apathy definitions excludes them from the context of this paper.On the other hand, apathy has been used to reflect the cognitive conditions of a variety of individuals and groups across employee, consumer, voter, stakeholder, public, and student spheres pertaining to dissatisfaction, withdrawal and absenteeism from particular subjects and environments.
Leadership and management scholars view apathetic behaviour largely from an employee's lack of motivation due to feeling underappreciated (Abd et al., 2019;Chen & Li, 2019;Hansen & Levin, 2016;Schmidt et al., 2017), or an indifference towards the mission and vision of the organisation (Glerum et al., 2017;Hollis, 2019;Kinyua, 2019).Work on apathy has also considered it from the perspective of non-organisational characterisations such as group (for example, voters, stakeholders and unions) and public apathy.The latter refers to indifference caused by a lack of interest in something (Antadze, 2018;Dahl et al., 2018;Lutfiu, 2018).The inspection of both perspectives indicated a uniform conceptualisation of the concept.
Of importance to this study was the marketing literature.It regards apathy through the perspective of the consumer or customer and defines it as a lack of excitement over the product or service delivered, or a lack of motivation towards purchase (Buchanan, 2017;Elhajjar, 2018;Lee & Kim, 2018;Sung et al., 2021).This is in agreement with expositions on student apathy as a display of indifference to learning.Marshall (2012) presented a source of reference with a study that acknowledged student apathy as a state of indifference or disengagement from the classroom.Furthermore, it opened up an understanding of the state of mental absenteeism shown by students as a result of inconsistent and unsatisfactory cognitions experienced within the learning environment.Other studies reported a lack of motivation, interest and enthusiasm that leads to low attendance, absenteeism, refusal to learn, ignorance of sanctions, lack of class participation, delayed or non-responsiveness to assessments, and limited involvement in student activities ( (Benders, 2011;De Lay et al., 2014;Panda, 2021).
The aforementioned results are determined, for example, by family, peer influence, finances, and the working environment; with the latter being a crucial focus in research into student apathy.Moreover, the working environment in this research considers the learning environment as an essential determinant of apathetic behaviour.Evidence from these studies conveys the culpabilities of perceived mediocre teaching, obsolete assessment methods, and the absence of learning processes (Benders, 2011;De Lay et al., 2014;Marshall, 2012;Nissi et al., 2020;Obi-Aso, 2020;Panda, 2021).Given the focus on public tertiary education institutions, these studies substantiate the examination of apathetic behaviour displayed by Generation Z estate management students in South-East Nigeria.

Generation Z
Prior to the Generation Z demography, there have been other core generationsgeneration X, millennials, baby boomers and the silent generation (traditionalists)who encompass distinct cognitive characteristics and preferences.Generation Z are known in this period as digital natives because of their relatively enhanced access to digitised devices at a young age.Their proximity to technology has developed a level of tech-savviness that has distinguished them from other age groups.Moreover, it has aided the nurturing of a self-help attitude that makes them confident and convinced of their principles, in addition to the cultivation of an analytical mind.With the swiftness of technological applications, generation Z tend to be agile and unconventional thinkers; while on the undesirable side, they also tend to be impatient (Ömür, 2021;Szymkowiak et al., 2021).
The social interests of Gen Z comprise social media, social entrepreneurship, pop culture, and social networking (Goldring & Azab, 2021;Haddouche & Salomone, 2018).These interests describe their affinity to digitised processes (Jacobsen & Barnes, 2020;Sun, 2021).As a result, educating them has been deemed a significant challenge for the predominantly traditionally and analogically-rooted stream of educators who lack the digitised privileges afforded to Generation Zs (Nissi et al., 2020;Njenga, 2018;Ntshwarang et al., 2021;Yakubu & Dasuki, 2018).Lending credence, and perhaps more perturbing, is evidence from sub-Saharan African literature supporting the assertion that Generation Z students possess superior knowledge, insight, and competence in digitised processes than their educators and parents (Eze et al., 2018;Maphalala & Adigun, 2021;Moakofhi et al., 2017;Nissi et al., 2020;Obi-Aso, 2020).Therefore, it can be argued that their ideal school habitat is a contemporary and interactive learning environment.

Learning Preferences of Gen Z Students
So far, it has been established that Generation Z students have learning preferences that are atypical to traditional pedagogic modes.Briggerman (2021) and Martindale et al. (2023) emphasise the implication of this assertion with the argument that where traditional modes are prevalent, apathetic behaviour is expected.Validating this contention, Jaiyeoba and Iloanya (2019 explored the relationship between various metrics of the Technology Acceptance Model, such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and perceived web privacy of e-learning resources, on the attitude and behavioural intentions of university students towards virtual learning platforms. To conduct the study, a quantitative approach was employed utilising self-administered survey instruments.The participants were university students with a minimum of one year of elearning experience.The survey instruments underwent psychometric evaluation, ensuring that the metrics of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, extent of e-learning use, perceived web-based privacy, attitude and behavioural intentions met the established thresholds of reliability and validity as outlined in existing literature.Correlation and regression analyses were then conducted to examine the hypothesised relationships.The findings revealed that elearning use, perceived usefulness, and attitude were positively associated with learners' behavioural intentions in Botswana.Furthermore, the regression analysis indicated that the extent of e-learning use, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude significantly impact behavioural intentions.Following this perspective, there is a need to identify the learning preferences of Gen Z students as a means of analysing the apathy determinants that arise from its inadequacy in the pedagogic offerings of tertiary education institutions in the study area.Collaborative learning has been shown to be highly effective for Gen Z students.Studies have emphasised their preferences for group activities, interaction, knowledge sharing and social learning (Düzenli, 2021;Szymkowiak et al., 2021).Those who support this form of learning posit that collaborative learning enhances mentorship programmes which pair younger students with older role models to foster guidance and leadership development (Klinge, 2015;Zachary & Fain, 2022).
On the other hand, researchers have approached the Gen Z learning preferences discussion from a simulated learning techniques aspect.Bobek and Tversky (2016) opine the use of diagrams, graphs and other visual representations strengthens abstract concept formation.Acchiardo et al. (2015) posit that when these are used to incorporate real examples and case studies into lectures, Gen Z students appreciate learning more because simulation brings course concepts to life and cultivates long-term retention for them.Bogner (2016) emphasises that Gen Z students appreciate learning management systems like Google Classroom because they facilitate resource sharing and streamline assignment collection/grading for them.Karis et al. (2016) agreed the use of video conferencing tools allows for remote participation and synchronous collaboration amongst this demography.Nicholas (2020) confirms that the ubiquitous use of freely available eBooks and apps that deliver course content flexibly on a variety of personal devices has been found to boost Gen Z student motivation, performance and satisfaction.
The foregoing suggests that lecturers who actively engage students through simulated learning, team-based approaches, polls, chats and feedback see improved attendance and participation amongst Gen Z students.This also confirms Bruggeman's (2021) and Martindale et al. (2023) arguments that inadequacy of collaborative learning essentials such as group reading, group discussion, mentorship, team approach; simulated learning techniques resembling automated continuous assessment, diagrammatic representations, graphical illustrations, projectors and laptops in teaching, use of real-life events for class discussion; and digital interactivity tools in the form of e-classroom tools like Google Classroom, and e-lecture applications such as Zoom, Microsoft Meet, and Google Teams.In this digitalised learning system feedback is encouraged by lecturers.Yet, the use of learning applications such as eBooks may result in learning apathy for Gen Z students.

Theoretical Foundation and Empirical Review
The theoretical premise of the study is anchored on Ajzen's (1985) Theory of Planned Behavior (Figure I), which is derived from social psychology.The theory, which is also an extension of Fishbein and Ajzen's (1975) Theory of Reasoned Action, positions an individual's behaviour as the outcome of their intention to perform the behaviour, and this intention is determined by their perception.Concisely, the theory argues that behaviour such as apathy is a result of beliefs and perceptions.Within the context of the study, the theory suggests that student apathetic behaviour arises as a result of their perceptions of the learning methods adopted by their universities.Figure I encapsulate the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a proposition that behaviour arises from intention to performance of behaviour, and such intention in itself being a product of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control.Based on this, apathetic behaviour is assumed to be a result of the attitude created by a student's perception of the pedagogic delivery method adopted by their school.The studies highlighted have approached this issue from diverse perspectives.In addition to Jaiyeoba et al. (2019) propositions of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, Corona and Ibáñez (2015) aimed to understand the perspectives of 250 Mexican students on the effectiveness of cooperative learning in chemistry.The study utilised an exploratory-descriptive methodology, including a pre-test and a post-test.By implementing cooperative learning, the researchers evaluated the significance of positive interdependence in fostering critical thinking skills.Additionally, the study revealed a shift away from focusing solely on theoretical content towards integrating everyday contexts that are meaningful to students.
Sambuaga (2020) examined the differences in student learning outcomes in Mathematics when taught using cooperative learning models compared to conventional methods.Using experimental research on 72 randomly selected students from the eleventh grade of SMA Negeri I Airmadidi, North Minahasa Regency and ANOVA as a data analysis tool, the study found differences in mathematics learning outcomes between students with high learning interest taught using the TPS cooperative learning model, and those taught using the conventional learning model.Niknaee et al. (2022) investigated students' satisfaction with virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic.Using a systematic review of Persian and English articles extracted from Persian (SID, Magiran, and CIVILICA); and English (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE) databases, the study found that students' satisfaction with virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic across worldwide studies aggregated about 82%.The highest satisfaction was observed in Saudi Arabia, Poland and South Korea; and the lowest satisfaction was related to students from Jordan, Iran and the USA.In contrast, Al-Qirim (2011) assessed the determinants of interactive whiteboard technology (IWBT) success in teaching in higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates.Setting up the study to validate extant relevant theories like the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study revealed the challenges that impede the full integration of IWBT in tertiary education teaching.It also shared the recommendations to further enhance the use of IWBT in teaching.From the review of selected extant literature, inquiries directly exploring the perspectives and lived experiences of affected students are scarce.This scarcity limits insights into the personal and contextual factors influencing their academic motivation.Comparatively, few studies have examined potential disparities in apathy prevalence and drivers across different demographic profiles within this population.With Gen Z exhibiting distinct attributes as digital natives, more contemporary research is warranted.Particularly, an evaluation of Gen Z's subjective norms to institutional pedagogies specifically designed for the South East Nigerian university environment is limited and largely unexplored.The study could offer insights that may better inform the design of targeted strategies to optimise learning experiences and outcomes for Gen Z in this context.Following these arguments, we analyse how the lack of these digital and collaborative integrations predicted the apathetic behaviour of Generation Z students in the study area.By so doing, the study is a validation of the propositions of this theory within the context of tertiary education pedagogy in South East Nigeria.A scale measurement of apathetic perceptions would be employed using a Likert scale consistent with Hansen and Levin (2016) and Utz et al. (2021).

Design and Sampling
This latitudinal cross-sectional study employed descriptive research design in a questionnaire survey of students in selected South East Nigerian public tertiary institutions.Simple random sampling was employed to reach a sample frame of 244 students in the Department of Estate Management of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu University Igbariam, and Institute of Management and Technology Enugu, Nigeria.
The sample frame was determined by applying the Freund and Williams formula for the infinite population because there were no records on the number of Generation Z students in the departments.The unit of analysis was pedagogic delivery methods and systems employed in the teaching of Estate Management and Built Environment courses in public universities.Thus, through elimination criteria, responses outside the content scope of the study and those emanating from non-generation Z students were not considered for analysis.

Research Model
Considering the theoretical framework of the study, the research model is an adaptation of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1985) and an extension of Hegade et al. (2020), Nissi et al. (2020) and Obi-Aso's (2020) understanding of Generation Z preferences.Thus, the study hypothesises that perceptions of collaborative, interactive and simulated learning methods adopted by the tertiary institutions under study will predict intentions for apathy within this student group.This adaptation is illustrated in Figure 2. Figure 2 illustrates the research model comprising the collaborative, interactive and simulated proxies of the pedagogic variable and their pathways to student apathy.The model shows students' subjective norms and responses to collaborative learning -a representation of the preference for group learning and tasks; interactive learningwhich refers to the use of automated interactive solutions such as computer applications and web-based communication media; and simulated learningdescribing the use of computer models (particularly graphical) to represent a real-life scenario.Ajzen (1985) avers that subjective norm refers to the perceived social pressure to perform or dismiss a particular behaviour.The study appraised how these subjective norms predicted apathy intentions amongst the respondents.The study draws on Ramadania and Braridwan (2019) and Suk et al. (2021) research that conceptualised subjective norms as the individual's normative perception of an important referent, and how they want to conform to that referent.The study assessed subjective norms through Likert scale questions regarding collaborative, interactive and simulated learning experiences.Using their specific proxies, such as group learning, web-based communication media, and computer modelling of real-life scenarios, identified in the literature review allows the study to quantify respondents' subjective norms and their relation to apathy.

Development and Validation of Research Instrument
The subjective norm-intention-apathy behaviour link in the research model was developed using a Likert-scale structured electronic questionnaire.The variable constructs in the questionnaire comprised collaborative learning, interactive, and simulated learning as obtained from Hegade et al. (2022), Nissi et al. (2020) and Obi-Aso (2020), and the outcome was the establishment of a Generation Z Learning Apathy Scale.The scale went around the satisfaction variate to underscore the link between student experience and apathy.The argument is premised on the logic that where the student is satisfied with the pedagogic experience, chances of apathy would be low, and vice versa (Harrebye & Ejrnaes, 2015;Pinkleton et al., 2012;Posner, 1999;Robert-Okah, 2014).Consequently, the scale had a 5-point measurement parameter where scale 1 is indicative of low satisfaction with the pedagogic experience, and scale 5 exhibits high satisfaction.By construal, low satisfaction implies high apathy, while high satisfaction is construed to mean low apathy for the variable constructs.
The Generation Z Learning Apathy Scale was validated for reliability through a pilot survey of 45 participants.The results were analysed with Cronbach alpha and a coefficient of .988was determined.Face validity was employed to verify the adequacy of the instrument to the research problem.

Analysis
After the identification and exclusion of irrational responses, the sample size used by the study was 217 (after excluding 27) Generation Z students in the estate management department of public tertiary institutions in South East Nigeria.To understand the underlying pedagogic attributes driving student apathy, we estimated an ordered logit model (Equation II) on SPSS, with apathy as the dependent variable to ascertain specific group learning aspects that Generation Z estate management students were most apathetic about.Ordered logit models demonstrate an ordinal dependent variable response to a number of continuous explanatory variables (Breen et al., 2018;Grilli & Rampichini, 2014).Accordingly, ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to ascertain the predictors of student apathy for tertiary institution pedagogic delivery.After adjusting for multiple variables, the parameter estimates, level of significance and confidence intervals were presented.

Decision Rule
The result is statistically significant where p-value <.05 at 95% confidence interval.
Interpretation: This implies that the student is satisfied with the pedagogic constructs available.However, where p-value >.05, it implies that the null hypothesis would not be rejected.This indicates low satisfaction, and therefore high apathy (Harrebye & Ejrnaes, 2015;Pinkleton et al., 2012;Posner, 1999;Robert-Okah, 2014).

Results
The following results show the ordinal logistic regression coefficients (β) of the relationship between pedagogic value chain constructs and student apathy in South East Nigeria.Logits for satisfaction with the extent of integrating collaborative learning, simulated learning, and interactive learning in the pedagogic value chain of public tertiary institutions in the country were presented respectively in Tables IV, V and VI.  1 shows the ordinal logistic regression analysis of pedagogic constructcollaborative learning and how its adoption by the schools leads to student apathy.In South East Nigeria, the state of group reading, group discussion, mentorship and team approach to problem-solving all recorded p-values >.05 on the satisfaction scale implying that Gen Z estate management students were not satisfied with their offerings.Therefore, the state of group reading (β = .577),group discussion (β = .164),mentorship (β = .147)and team approach (β = .422)all contributed to student apathy in South East Nigerian universities.The most significant predictor of student apathy arising from collaborative learning experience was dissatisfaction with the frequency of group discussion and mentorship, due to their lower regression coefficients (β = .164for group learning; β = .147for mentorship)..015; p=.962), leading to apathetic behaviour.However, they appeared satisfied with the integration of computer systems such as projectors and laptops in teaching (β = -1.029;p=.001), and the use of real-life events for class discussion examples (β = .616;p=.048).As a result, these did not lead to apathetic behaviour.From the perspective of simulated learning integration in teaching, the most significant predictor of student apathy was the insufficient adoption of automated continuous assessment.a.This parameter is set to zero because it is redundant.
Table 3 highlights the logits for apathetic behaviour arising from dissatisfaction with the perceived digital interactivity of pedagogic offerings.Generation Z students of estate management were satisfied with all the constructs for interactive learning: use of e-classroom tools such as Google Classroom (β = -1.332;p=.000), e-lecture applications such as Zoom, Microsoft Meet, and Google Teams (β = -2.253;p=.000), feedbacks are encouraged by lecturers (β = -1.065;p=.001), and use of learning applications such as eBooks (β = .719;p=.020).This is informed by their p-values (p<.05), while the parameter estimate for the use of learning apps shows that it is the most significant integration of interactive learning.In essence, the result confirms that Generation Z students in the study area are not apathetic towards the adequacy of interactive learning experienced.

Conclusion
The study aimed to identify predictors of apathy amongst Generation Z students in South Eastern Nigerian universities based on their perceptions of teaching methods.An adapted Theory of Planned Behaviour model was used to develop an apathy measurement scale incorporating collaborative, simulated and interactive learning.Ordered logistic regression found dissatisfaction with the adequacy of collaborative and simulated learning experiences, thus making them significant predictors of learning apathy amongst the students.In this context, key implications include the identification of priority areas for pedagogical policy reform to improve group discussions and teamwork under collaborative learning and adopting automated assessments for simulated learning.This study recommends enhancing these aspects to boost performance, ensuring legitimate grading to build trust, and facilitating digital access to materials across tertiary education institutions in South East Nigeria.
Furthermore, the limitations shown focused on geographical and institutional scope.Future research could employ mixed methods and expand the survey to other regions/institutions, while also examining lecturer apathy factors.In addressing these gaps a more robust understanding of the issues to better support all stakeholders in enhancing the learning experience of this prevalent undergraduate student group.

Figure
Figure 2: Research Model

Table 2 : Ordinal Regression Analysis of the Relationship between State of Simulated Learning and Student Apathy Parameter Estimates
This parameter is set to zero because it is redundantTable2illustrates the model analysing the contributors of student apathy from the perspective of the simulated learning experience.Generation Z estate management students were dissatisfied with the following constructs: automated continuous assessment (β = .041;p=.895), diagrammatic representations (β = -.128;p=.680) and graphical illustrations (β =