Benchmark Journals Journal of Educational Realities-JERA
pISSN 2536-6661, eISSN 2536-6653 Vol.4, No.1, July/Sept, 2017
A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
Data presented in Table 1 showed that the five (5) items on skills training need of
TVET lecturers on brainstorming approach in scaffolding teaching of vocational subjects are
needed based on the mean which ranged from 2.67 – 3.07. This is also applied to standard
deviation, which ranged from 0.53 – 0.61 showing that the respondents were not far from
each other on their responses.
Research Question 2:
Table 2: Mean responses of the respondents on the skills training need of TVET
lecturers in inquiry teaching method in scaffolding teaching of vocational
subjects
S/N Skills training need on inquiry teaching X SD Remark
6 Skill to apply open-ended or close ended inquiry
approach 3.10 0.62 HN
7 Ability to help students to organize their new
discoveries into meaningful ideas 3.20 0.64 VHN
8 Ability to arrange subject matter for easy
utilization of students 3.02 0.60 HN
9 Skill to define the problem of inquiry properly by
stating the objective to be achieve 2.89 0.57 MH
10 Ability of asking suitable questions related to the
topic to test entry behaviour of students 3.06 0.61 HN
The data in Table 2 revealed that the five (5) skills training need items had their mean
ranging from 2.89 – 3.20 and were above the cut-off point of 2.50. This indicates that the
TVET lecturers are highly in need of inquiry teaching skills in scaffolding teaching of
vocational subjects. Based on the standard deviation ranging from 0.57 – 0.64, it shows that
the respondents were close in their opinions on inquiry teaching skills training need.
Research Question 3:
Table 3: Mean responses of the respondents on the skills training need of TVET
lecturers in active learning approach in scaffolding teaching of vocation subjects
S/N Skills training need on active learning X SD Remark
approach
11 Skill to train students in using real equipment for
active participation for skill acquisition 3.12 0.62 HN
12 Skill to integrate multiple teaching instruction for
creativity and flexibility of students 3.27 0.65 VHN
13 Ability not to allow individual student dominate
the discussion 2.96 0.59 MN
14 Skill to consciously pause and invite questions at
interval from students for active participation 3.09 0.61 HN
15 Skill to plan for various activities that will
involve students and arouse their interest in
learning 3.14 0.60 HN
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Benchmark Journals Journal of Educational Realities-JERA
pISSN 2536-6661, eISSN 2536-6653 Vol.4, No.1, July/Sept, 2017
A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
Data presented in Table 3 showed that the respondents needed all the items as the basic pre-
requisite skills on active learning approach in scaffolding teaching of vocational subjects,
since the mean values ranging from 2.96 – 3.27 were above the cut-off point. The standard
deviation values ranged from 0.59 – 0.65 which implies that the respondents were close in
their opinions on active learning approach skills training need.
Test of Hypotheses
Null Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference between the mean responses of male
and female TVET lecturers in skills training need on brainstorming approach in scaffolding
teaching for teaching vocational subjects.
Table 4: t-test analysis of responses on the skills training need of TVET lecturers on
brainstorming approach in scaffolding teaching of vocational subjects
Variable nX SD df t-cal t-crit. Decision
Male lecturers 56 14.8 2.42
94 2.12 1.98 Sign.
Female lecturers 40 14.1 2.18
(n = 96), significant at p > 0.05
The hypothesis tested in Table 4 indicates that the t-calculated value of 2.12 is higher
than the t-critical value of 1.98 at 0.05 level of significance with 94 degree of freedom. The
result reveals that both male and female TVET lecturers need skills training on brainstorming
approach for proper scaffolding teaching of vocational subjects, hence the null hypothesis
was rejected and the alternate retained.
Null Hypothesis 2: There is no significant difference between the mean responses of male
and female TVET lecturers in skills training need on inquiry teaching approach in scaffolding
teaching for teaching vocational subjects.
Table 5: t-test analysis of responses on the skills training need of TVET lecturers on
inquiry teaching method in scaffolding teaching of vocational subjects
Variable nX SD df t-cal t-crit. Decision
Male lecturers 56 14.51 2.33
94 2.27 1.98 Sign.
Female lecturers 40 14.01 2.11
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Benchmark Journals Journal of Educational Realities-JERA
pISSN 2536-6661, eISSN 2536-6653 Vol.4, No.1, July/Sept, 2017
A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
Table 5 revealed that the t-calculated value of 2.27 is greater than the t-critical value of 1.98
at 0.05 level of significance with 94 degree of freedom. This implies that skills training of
TVET lecturers on inquiry teaching approach are significantly needed in scaffolding teaching
of vocational subjects. The null hypothesis was rejected and the alternate maintained.
Null Hypothesis 3: There is no significant difference between the mean responses of male
and female TVET lecturers in skills training need on active learning approach in scaffolding
teaching for teaching vocational subjects.
Table 6: t-test analysis of responses on the skills training need of TVET lecturers on
active learning approach in scaffolding teaching of vocational subjects
Variable nX SD df t-cal t-crit. Decision
Male lecturers 56 14.90 2.47
94 2.42 1.98 Sign.
Female lecturers 40 14.10 2.20
The result in Table 6 showed that the t-calculated value of 2.42 is higher than the t-
critical value of 1.98 with 94 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance. Therefore, the
null hypothesis is rejected. The result reveals that both male and female TVET lecturers need
skills training on active learning approach for proper scaffolding teaching of vocational
subjects, hence the null hypothesis was rejected and the alternate retained.
Discussion of Findings
The finding of the study on Table 4 revealed that TVET lecturers need skills training
on brainstorming approach in scaffolding teaching of vocational subjects for enhanced skill
acquisition of students. This finding is in consonance with the view of Ogwo and Oranu
(2006) who opined that brainstorming is a teaching strategy in which the lecturers conceives
self as flexible, permissive, interested in stimulation discussion and seeing others grow. It is a
skill applied to share responsibilities and interactions that generate better inter-group relations
which individual learner brings out his/her ideas that is subjected to criticism by group
members and lecturers and therefore used to make generalization. brainstorming teaching
strategy promotes skills acquisition of students in the mastery area of vocational subjects.
The finding on Table 5 on inquiry teaching skills training need of TVET lecturers in
scaffolding teaching of vocational subjects is in support of the work by Wan-Azlinda (2010)
who posited that inquiry approach skill when utilized, it gives the learners opportunity to
carry out the search and discovery of facts, knowledge, and scientific ideas in vocational
discipline. He further explained that inquiry teaching skill is the strategy requiring the
arrangement of subject – matter structure to enable learners work with data, equipment,
project work to make inferences and ask questions that will enhance their development
process skills. Inquiry teaching encourages students participation in the learning process by
making then active, rather than passive learners.
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Benchmark Journals Journal of Educational Realities-JERA
pISSN 2536-6661, eISSN 2536-6653 Vol.4, No.1, July/Sept, 2017
A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
The finding on Table 6 revealed that various active learning approach skills are needed by
TVET lecturers in scaffolding teaching of vocational subjects. The result is in agreement with
Udosen (2004) who asserted that it has been acknowledged widely that for students to do
well in vocational studies and science and to develop practical skills which will be useful to
them in their later lives, they must be actively involved in the process of learning. As TVET
lecturers commence the use of active learning approach, it will promote and support learning
by providing an opportunity for the use of educational materials and ideas for proper skill
acquisition of the learners. Application of active learning approach by TVET lecturers
encourages acquisition of manipulative skills which lead to creativity and flexibility due to a
number of using pedagogical skills.
Conclusion
Vocational education is very vital to the entire educational system and national
development of any nation due to it transmission of ideas, skills, knowledge and values of
work and what an individual can do in his or her life. The changes involves in industry,
labour market, work organization, knowledge, skills, give rise for better training of TVET
lecturers in skills to be experts in pedagogical in scaffolding teaching of vocational subjects
to meet the needs of the students and the society. The excellence of TVET programme relies
on the quality, effectiveness and relevance of skilled lecturers in teaching the subjects
because lecturers are the embodiment of knowledge and skills required by the students.
Recommendations
Based on the finding, the following recommendations were made:
1. TVET lecturers should be properly trained on how to apply brainstorming, inquiry
approach and active approach skills in scaffolding students in learning to avoid
problem of spoon feeding and half bark skills product that cannot fit in labour market.
2. TVET lecturers should be trained in the use of new pedagogical skill application in
scaffolding teaching of vocational subject and to put a stop to conventional approach
as it is lecture self-centered.
3. TVET lecturers should try to engage learners in reciprocal teaching as this would help
to promote the development of manipulative skills of the learner.
References
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A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
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Benchmark Journals Journal of Educational Realities-JERA
pISSN 2536-6661, eISSN 2536-6653 Vol.4, No.1, July/Sept, 2017
A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
Entrepreneurial Competencies Required by Technical College Products for
Successful Entering into Fabrication and Welding Enterprise
for Sustainable Development In Akwa Ibom State
Robert, Alexis M.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic,
Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene, Nigeria.
Email: [email protected]
Abstract
This study focused on identifying entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college
products for entering into fabrication/welding enterprises in Akwa Ibom state for sustainable
development. Three research questions were developed and answered in line with the
purpose of the study. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested at the probability of .05
level of significance. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the
study was 22 made up of 12 technical teachers and 10 workshop technologists in
fabrication/welding section in all the technical colleges that offer fabrication/welding trade
in Akwa Ibom state. The sampling was purposive because of the manageable size of the
population. The instrument used for data collection was a 72 competencies structured
questionnaire which was face validated by three experts. Split-half technique and cronbach
alpha reliability method were adopted to determine the reliability of the competencies on the
questionnaire. A cronbach alpha coefficient of .84 was obtained. Mean with standard
deviation were used to answer the research questions while t-test statistic was used to test the
hypotheses at 0.05 levels of significance. It was revealed that technical college products in
fabrication/welding craft practice require all the 14 competencies in planning for
establishing fabrication/welding enterprises, 46 competencies for processing of metals into
finished products, and 12 competencies for marketing of fabrication/welding enterprises’
finished products. It was recommended that the identified entrepreneurial competencies be
used for retraining of technical college products for entering into fabrication/welding
enterprise as entrepreneurs. Also, that entrepreneurship education centres should be
established by Akwa Ibom State Government for retraining of technical college products in
entrepreneurial competencies for sustainable development.
Keywords: Entrepreneurial competencies, Technical college products, Fabrication/Welding
enterprise, Sustainable development.
Introduction
Fabrication and welding is the art of joining metal parts together by the use of heat or
pressure. Thus fabrication and welding craft practice is a trade or occupation taught in
technical colleges. The trade exposes students to the use of metals of various forms such as
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A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
sheet metals, rods, angle bars, flat bars, and plates of various sizes and thicknesses to
manufacture domestic and industrial components, machines, systems, and household
equipment for the service of man. However, fabrication and welding trade can also be learnt
through apprenticeship training (out of school training). But the study of fabrication and
welding in technical colleges exposes students to the theoretical and practical components of
the trade thereby making technical college products more technically literates and productive
to the society. This is in line with the view of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) (2004)
which describes technical college as an institution designed to prepare students to acquire
practical skills and basic scientific knowledge and attitudes for the world of work. Thus
Robert and Udoh (2015) stated that technical college is an appropriate educational pathway
that can provide relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies for employment and quality
living among technical college products.
Technical college products are individuals who have completed a three year senior
technical college education programme and are awarded the National technical certificate
(NTC) in any of the fields in technical areas such as fabrication/welding craft practice, motor
vehicle mechanics’ work, and so on. While National and Business certificates (NBC) is
awarded to those that did business subjects. Olaitan, Eze, and Ogbonnaya (2009) observed
that secondary school and technical college products without being admitted into tertiary
institutions or without job usually move into the cities in search of white collar jobs without
success. The authors maintained that the absent of jobs may lead them to engage in anti social
activities, such as stealing, drug abuse, robbery. This view is also shared by Robert (2016)
who stated that the effect of unemployment among Nigerian youths with resulting incidences
of poverty has given birth to various crimes and socio- economic instability. This is because
many technical college products are lacking the necessary competencies in their field of study
that could make them productive in their area of study.
One of the ways of overcoming this ugly trend is by empowering technical college
products in fabrication and welding with the necessary competencies that would make them
owners of fabrication and welding enterprises. Fabrication and welding enterprise is a
composite unit of metal work industry that involves a group of skilled personnel in
fabrication and welding and other related trade areas working together to achieve common
goals. Fabrication and welding enterprise is relevant in many sector of the economy such as
agro and allied industries, oil and gas industries, transport and housing among others. The
wide range of avenues enable individual participant in fabrication and welding enterprise as
entrepreneur to create wealth to themselves and jobs to others.
Anayakoha (2006) defined entrepreneur as a person who takes or assumes risks,
identifies business opportunities gather resources, initiates actions and establishes a business
organisation to meet market opportunities. In this study, entrepreneur is an individual who
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A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
owns, manages and bears financial risks and benefits of fabrication and welding enterprise.
Therefore technical college products in fabrication/welding should possess some
entrepreneurial competencies to enable them become successful entrepreneurs.
Competencies are specific abilities an individual possesses which enable him/her to
carry out a task successfully. Okoro (2007) identified entrepreneurial competencies in the
area of planning, technical tasks, marketing, public relation among others. Thus
entrepreneurial competencies in fabrication and welding enterprises are the integrated
performance capabilities acquired by an individual for the purpose of achieving the objectives
of fabrication and welding enterprise. Such objectives include wealth creation through asset
acquisition that lead to sustainable development. Sustainable development has to do with one
improving productivity, increase income and equitable access to employment among
members of the society. Successful entrepreneurs in fabrication/welding enterprises are
among those that can bring about sustainable development in the society. Therefore, technical
college products require entrepreneurial competencies to be able to carry out tasks in the area
of planning, processing of metal into finished products and marketing of the finished products
for improved interest to become entrepreneurs in fabrication and welding enterprise.
Statement of the Problem
The major objective of technical college education is to provide individual with
scientific knowledge, practical skills and attitudes that are necessary for the world of work.
But it was observed by Olaitan (2004) that the inability of the Nigerian graduates to be
gainfully employed was as a result of misplacement and misdirecting the intelligence and
ability of the learner in the learning process. This has led to technical college products of
fabrication/welding craft practice not to acquire the necessary competencies required to
operate fabrication/welding enterprise as entrepreneurs. If this abnormally is not corrected,
there will be continuous increase of unemployed products from technical colleges. Therefore,
there is need to identify the competencies required to operate fabrication /welding enterprise
hence this study.
Purpose of Study
The purpose of this study is to determine the entrepreneurial competencies required
by technical college products for successful entering into fabrication and welding enterprises
as entrepreneurs in Akwa Ibom State.
Specifically, the study will
1. determine entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful planning for entering into fabrication and welding enterprise.
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2. determine entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful processing of metals into useful finished products in fabrication and welding
enterprise.
3. determine entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful marketing of processed metal products of fabrication and welding enterprise.
Research Questions.
1. What are the entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful planning for entering into fabrication and welding enterprise?
2. What are the entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful processing of metals into useful products in fabrication and welding enterprise?
3. What are the entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful marketing of processed metal products of fabrication and welding enterprise?
Null Hypotheses
The following hypotheses will be tested at .05 level of significance.
1. There is no significant difference in the mean rating of technical college teachers and
workshop technologists in fabrication/welding craft practice on the entrepreneurial
competencies required by technical college products for successful planning for
fabrication welding enterprise
2. There is no significant difference in the mean rating of technical college teachers of
fabrication/welding craft practice and technologists of fabrication/welding enterprises
on the entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful processing of metals into useful products in fabrication welding enterprise
3. There is no significant difference in the mean rating of technical college teachers of
fabrication/welding craft practice and workshop technologists in fabrication/welding
enterprises on the entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products
for successful marketing of processed metal products of fabrication/welding enterprise
Methodology
The study adopted survey research design. Survey research design according to
Nworgu (1991) is a process used in obtaining data from a sample that are familiar with the
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A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
ideas relating to the objectives of the study. The study was carried out in Akwa Ibom State of
Nigeria. The population for the study was 22 consisting of 12 technical teachers, and 10
workshop technologists of fabrication/welding craft practice in seven Government owned
technical colleges that offer fabrication/welding craft practice. There was no sampling as the
population was manageable. A 72 items structured questionnaire titled Questionnaire on
Entrepreneurial Competencies in Fabrication and Welding (QECFW) was used to collect data
from the respondents. The competencies items in each area had a 4 point rating scale of
highly required, HR, Averagely required (AR), slightly required (SR) and not required (NR)
with corresponding value of 4, 3, 2, and 1. The instrument was face validated by three
university lecturers two from the Department of vocational education university of Uyo; and
on from department of mechanical Engineering, Akwa Ibom State university, Ikot Akpaden.
Split half technique and Cronbach alpha reliability were used to determine the internal
consistency of the instrument which yielded a coefficient of 0.84.
Twenty two copies of the questionnaire were administered on the respondents. The
entire 22 copies were retrieved and analysed. Data collected from the study was analyzed
using weighted mean and standard deviation (SD) to answer the research questions, while t-
test statistic was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 levels of significance and at 20 degree of
freedom. The arithmetic mean for the value was computed as 4 + 3 + 2 +1 = 10; 10/4 = 2.50.
Therefore, any item with a weighted mean of 2.50 or above was regarded required while any
item whose weighted mean is less than 2.50 was regarded as not required. Any item with
standard deviation between 0.000 and 1.96 indicated that the respondents were not too far
from the mean and from one another in their responses.
Any item whose t-cal is less than the t- table value of 2.09 indicates that there was no
significant difference in the responses of the two groups of the respondents. Thus a
hypothesis of no significant difference was upheld for such item. Any item whose t-cal value
is greater than the t- table value of 2.09 indicated that there was a significant difference in the
responses of the two groups of respondents. Thus a hypothesis of no significant difference
was rejected for that item.
Results
The results for the study was obtained from the research questions answered through data
collected and analysed and Null hypotheses tested.
Research Question 1:
What are the entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful planning for entering into fabrication and welding enterprise?
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A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
Null Hypothesis 1:
There is no significant difference in the mean rating of technical college teachers and
workshop technologists in fabrication/welding craft practice on the entrepreneurial
competencies required by technical college products for successful planning for fabrication
welding enterprise
Competencies in Planning
S/ Item statement Remarks
RQ Ho
NO ẋ SD t-cal t-tab Req NS
0.65
1 Formulate specific objectives for fabrication 0.68 1.07 2.09 Req NS
0.39 0.67 2.09 “ “
/welding enterprise. 3.36 0.47 0.00 2.09 “ “
0.65 0.95 2.09 “ “
2 Review the objectives of enterprise based on the 0.45 0.34 2.09 “ “
0.63 1.00 2.09 “ “
changes in market demand and supply. 3.10 -0.36 2.09 “ “
0.50
3 Select suitable site for fabrication/welding 0.64 1.90 2.09 “ “
1.06 2.09 “ “
enterprise 3.81
4 Decide on the type of metal products to produce
based on the financial strength of the enterprise. 3.68
5 Decide on the sources of finance for
fabrication/welding enterprise 3.36
6 Decide on the materials and equipment for
fabrication/welding enterprise 3.72
7 Decide on various levels of personnel (skilled
and unskilled) and number needed for the 3.13
enterprise
8 Make budget for the fabrication/welding
enterprise 3.59
9 Draw schedule of activities for
fabrication/welding enterprise 3.18
10 Decide on appropriate work ethics for personnel
in fabrication/welding enterprise 3.36 0.49 1.48 2.09 “ “
11 Decide on appropriate records for
fabrication/welding enterprise 3.45 0.50 1.41 2.09 “ “
12 Decide on inventory control systems in
fabrication/welding enterprise 3.27 0.70 0.33 2.09 “ “
13 Decide on appropriate means for storage of items
of the enterprise 3.59 0.50 1.90 2.09 “ “
14 Decide on appropriate sources of power for the
enterprise (national grid/ personal source) 3.50 0.51 1.92 2.09 “ “
Key: RQ=Research question; Ho = null hypothesis; Reqrd = Required; NS = Not Significant
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The data in table 1 revealed that the sixteen (14) entrepreneurial competency items
had their mean ranged from 2.90 to 3.81. This indicated that each mean was above the cut off
point of 2.50. The implication of this is that all the sixteen (14) items are required by
technical college products in planning for establishing fabrication/welding enterprises. The
items had their standard deviation ranged from 0.394 to 0.811, which indicated that the
respondents were not far from the mean and were close to one another in their opinion.
The table also indicated that each of the 14 items in planning had its calculated t-value
lower than t-table value of 2.086. This showed that there was no significant difference in the
mean rating of the responses of teachers in fabrication and welding craft practice and
managers of fabrication and welding enterprises on entrepreneurial benchmarks required in
planning for fabrication /welding enterprises. Therefore, the hypothesis of no significant
difference was upheld for the items.
Research Question 2:
What are the entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful processing of metals into useful products in fabrication and welding enterprise?
Null Hypothesis 2:
There is no significant difference in the mean rating of the responses of technical college
teachers of fabrication/welding craft practice and technologists of fabrication/welding
enterprises on the entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful processing of metals into useful products in fabrication welding enterprise
Competencies in Processing Metal into Remarks
Finished Products and
RQ Ho
i Mathematical calculations Req NS
measurement Item statement Req NS
““
Item statement ẋ1 SD t-cal t-tab ““
0.00 2.09
1. Perform simple mathematical calculations 3.59 0.50 -0.51 2.09 ““
-0.41 2.09
2 Read various measuring instruments 3.72 0.45 ““
1.00 2.09 ““
3 Calculate volumes 3.31 0.56
0.44 2.09 ““
ii General metal cutting processes 2.14 2.09 55
4 Cut various thicknesses of metals with 3.72 0.45 -0.71 2.09
electrically/ mechanically operated machines
5 Cut various thicknesses of metals with electric arc 2.72 1.03
6 Cut various thicknesses of metals with gas flame 3.72 0.45
iii General metal drilling processes
7 Drill holes on various thicknesses of metals with 2.77 0.00
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manually operated drilling machines
8 Drill holes on various thicknesses of metals with 3.63 0.49 1.41 2.09 “ “
different types of electrically operated drilling
machines 2.81 0.90 1.52 2.09 “ “
9 Counter bore holes on metals 2.72 0.93 1.46 2.09 “ “
10 Countersink holes on metals
iv Assembling of parts for welding
11 Interpret drawings/ welding symbols 3.40 0.66 1.40 2.09 “ “
12 Identify various weld joints 3.45 0.59 0.34 2.09 “ “
13 Prepare various weld joints 3.46 0.50 0.43 2.09 “ “
14 Provide appropriate root face and root gap for 3.68 0.47 1.49 2.09 “ “
weld joints 3.90 0.29 1.49 2.09 “ “
15 Carry out tacking appropriately 3.63 0.49 1.41 2.09 “ “
16 Place work in appropriate welding positions
v Arc welding 3.90 0.29 0.00 2.09 “ “
17 Set current correctly 4.00 0.00 0.00 2.09 “ “
18 Select electrodes for a given job 3.95 0.21 1.00 2.09 “ “
19 Maintain correct arc length during welding 3.86 0.35 0.63 2.09 “ “
20 Ensure adequate penetration during welding
vi Gas Welding and Cutting
21 Select flames for various jobs 3.77 0.42 0.52 2.09 “ “
22 Select/apply fluxes correctly 3.68 0.47 1.49 2.09 “ “
23 Select appropriate filler rods for welding 3.77 0.42 0.00 2.09 “ “
24 Use appropriate angles for filler rod/ blowpipe 3.45 0.67 1.82 2.09 “ “
25 Weld metals with appropriate speed and accuracy 3.68 0.47 1.49 2.09 “ “
vii General faults prevention /control in welds
26 Apply different methods for controlling expansion 3.95 0.21 1.00 2.09 “ “
and contraction in welds 3.81 0.39 0.00 2.09 “ “
27 Identify/ control various defects in welds
viii Finishing
28 Clean weld surfaces free from spatters and other 3.77 0.42 0.00 2.09 “ “
impurities
29 Dull edges and corners correctly 3.63 0.58 -0.40 2.09 “ “
30 Apply filler appropriately where necessary 3.13 0.71 0.31 2.09 “ “
31 Apply appropriate corrosion protective materials 3.68 0.47 0.95 2.09 “ “
on metals
32 Carryout grinding with various electrically 3.50 0.51 0.00 2.09 “ “
operated machines
33 Carryout filling hand files 3.50 0.51 -0.90 2.09 “ “
34 Carryout smoothening of surfaces with emery 3.40 0.50 -0.91 2.09 “ “
clothe
ix Riveting
35 Carry out manual riveting (riveting using hammer) 3.40 0.50 0.00 2.09 ““
0.50 -1.38 2.09 ““
36 Carryout riveting with machines 3.45
1.03 0.44 2.09 ““
x Self –secured joints 56
37 Carryout paned down joints 2.72
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38 Carryout knock-up joints 2.81 1.00 -0.24 2.09 “ “
39 Carryout grooved joints 2.77 1.02 0.21 2.09 “ “
xi Safety practices
40 Select/ use appropriate safety wears 3.63 0.42 1.41 2.09 “ “
41 Observe all safety rules regarding 3.72 0.45 1.00 2.09 “ “
machines/equipment operation
42 Observe safety rules regarding arc welding and 3.77 0.42 1.63 2.09 “ “
cutting
43 Observe safety rules regarding gas welding and 3.77 0.42 0.52 2.09 “ “
cutting
44 Observe safety rules regarding materials handling 3.77 0.42 1.63 2.09 “ “
45 Operate all workshop safety equipment and 3.77 0.42 0.52 2.09 “ “
materials 3.90 0.29 1.49 2.09 “ “
46 Maintain personal hygiene
Key: RQ=Research question; Ho = null hypothesis; Reqd = Required; NS = Not Significant
The data in table 2 revealed that the 46 items had their mean ranged from 2.72 to 4.00. This
indicated that their mean were all above the cut-off point of 2.50. These mean values
indicated that the rest of the 46 items were entrepreneurial competencies required by
technical college products of fabrication and welding craft practice for processing metals into
finished products. Also the standard deviation ranged from 0.000 to 1.052, indicating that the
respondents were not too far from the mean and from one another in their opinions.
The null hypothesis tested in table 2 also indicated that the 46 entrepreneurial
competencies had their calculated t- values ranged from -1.382 to 1. 825 which were less than
t- table value of 2.09 at 0.05 levels of significance and 20 degree of freedom. This indicated
that there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of the responses of the two groups
of respondents on the 46 entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products
for processing metals into finished products. With this result, the null hypothesis of no
significant difference is upheld for the 46 entrepreneurial competencies.
Research Question 3:
What are the entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful marketing of processed metal products of fabrication and welding enterprise?
Null Hypothesis 3:
There is no significant difference in the mean rating of technical college teachers of
fabrication/welding craft practice and workshop technologists in fabrication/welding
enterprises on the entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college products for
successful marketing of processed metal products of fabrication/welding enterprise
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Remarks
RQ Ho
Competencies in Marketing of Finished Metal
Products ẋ1 SD t-cal t-tab
Item statement Req NS
1 Decide. appropriate market survey strategies 3.22 0.42 0.53 2.09
2 Apply appropriate advertisement programme of 3.09 0.52 Req NS
0.00 2.09 “ “
enterprise products
3 Identify cost of various metal products in the market 3.27 0.55 0.00 2.09 “ “
1.49 2.09 “ “
4 Grade the enterprise products according to designs 3.68 0.47 0.00 2.09 “ “
-1.52 2.09 “ “
5 Fix appropriate prices for the products 3.40 0.50
6 Identify buyers according to their need/choice of 3.00 0.81
products
7 Use appropriate means of transporting the metal 2.77 0.97 0.00 2.09 “ “
products to the buyers
8 Keep sales book/records for all the products 3.40 0.50 0.00 2.09 “ “
-0.44 2.09 “ “
9 Balance the enterprise account at the end of each day 3.22 0.52 -0.90 2.09 “ “
10 Arrange for safe keeping/ banking of financial 3.5 0.51
proceeds from sales of enterprise products
11 Select sales promotion strategies 2.95 0.89 1.26 2.09 “ “
0.34 2.09 “ “
12 Select/use appropriate communication skills 3.13 0.63
Key: RQ=Research question; Ho = null hypothesis; Reqrd = Required; NS = Not
Significant
Data in table 3 showed that the 12 entrepreneurial competencies had their mean
ranged from 2.77 to 3.68. This indicated that their mean were above the cut-off point of 2.50.
This observation implies that all the 12 items are entrepreneurial competencies required by
technical college products for successful marketing of processed finished metal products of
fabrication/welding enterprise. The items also had their standard deviation ranged from 0.428
to 0.898. This implies that the respondents were not far from the mean and were close to one
another in their opinions.
Similarly, data presented in table 3 also revealed that the 12 entrepreneurial
competencies have their calculated t-values ranged from -1.520 to 1.493, which were less
than t-table value of 2.09 at 0.05 level of significant and 20 degree of freedom. This indicated
that there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of the responses of the two groups
of respondents on the entrepreneurial competencies required by technical college students to
market finished metal products for fabrication/welding enterprise. With this result, the null
hypothesis of no significant difference was upheld for the 12 entrepreneurial competencies in
marketing.
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Discussion of Findings
The result of this study in table 1 showed that 14 entrepreneurial competencies were
required by technical college products in fabrication/welding craft practice in planning for
entering into fabrication/welding enterprise as entrepreneurs. The result of this study is in
agreement with the opinion of Olaitan and Mama (2001) who stated that planning for an
enterprise involves formulating specific objectives of the enterprise, drawing up programme
plan, budgeting, procurement of inputs for the enterprise and so on. The result of the study is
also in consonant with the opinion Alebiosu (2005) who stated that planning should have a
broad outline for goals, policies and procedures that will accomplish the objectives of the
enterprise including forecasting and developing budget plus establishing the organisational
design and structure.
In Table 2, the result of the study revealed that 46 competencies were required by
technical college products in fabrication/ welding craft practice for processing metals into
finished products. The result agrees with the submission of Enete, Amusa and Eze (2009)
who stated that cocoa yam processing means the altering of cocoa yam corms or cormels to
improve their quality towards profit making for livelihood. Thus processing of metals into
finished products is the conversion of metals through various steps to useable state for
sustainable living. Technical college products should be able to execute these steps with high
level of competency for improved interest in venturing into fabrication/welding enterprises as
entrepreneurs. The finding on processing of metals into finished products are in agreement
with the opinion of Robert (2013) who identified activities of processing metals into finished
products to include cutting, drilling, riveting, folding of metals, welding, filing, painting
among others.
The result in Table 3 revealed that 12 competencies were required by technical
college products in fabrication/welding craft practice in marketing products of
fabrication/welding enterprise. The result agrees with the opinion of Aneke (2011) who
outlined the activities involved in marketing of snail products to include market survey,
sorting snails into sizes, fixing of prices for each group, advertising the snails in the local
markets / media, keep sales records and so on. The opinions and submissions of these authors
cited above helped to validate the results of the present study on entrepreneurial
competencies required in fabrication/welding enterprises. In addition, the finding on the
hypotheses revealed that there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of the
responses of the teachers in fabrication/welding craft practice and workshop technologists in
fabrication/welding craft practice section on the 72 entrepreneurial competencies required by
technical college products for successful entry into fabrication/welding enterprises as
entrepreneurs. This indicated that the professionals experience of the respondents in their
respective occupations did not significantly influence their responses on the 72 competencies
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required by technical college products in planning, processing, and marketing of
fabrication/welding enterprises products in Akwa Ibom state.
Conclusion
In Akwa Ibom state, many technical college products in fabrication /welding craft
practice are unemployed despite the wide range of opportunities available in welding trade.
The reason for this unemployment is that this group of technical college products do not
possess the required competencies for entry to fabrication/welding enterprises as
entrepreneurs or at least as employees for a healthy living. The unemployment has resulted in
anti social behaviours among technical college products and by implication among youths
generally. Therefore, this study was carried out to identify the entrepreneurial competencies
required by technical college products to become self employed and employers of labours for
sustainable development in Akwa Ibom state. The study found out that 72 entrepreneurial
competencies were required by technical college products for successful entering into
fabrication/welding enterprise as entrepreneurs.
Recommendations
Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made:
1. That the identified entrepreneurial competencies be used by organized private bodies
for retraining of technical college products for entering into fabrication/welding
enterprise as entrepreneurs
2. Entrepreneurship education centres should be established by Akwa Ibom State
Government for retraining of technical college products for sustainable development.
3. The National Business and Technical Examination Board should incorporate the
identified entrepreneurial competencies in their NTC curriculum to prepare
prospective graduating students in fabrication/welding craft practice for entering into
fabrication/welding enterprise as entrepreneurs
References
Alebiosu, S. O. (2005) Sales management. Akure, Bosem publishers
Aneke, C. U. (2011). Entrepreneurial skills required by secondary school graduates in snail
production enterprise. Nigerian Vocational Association Journal 16, 1, 75-80
Anete, A. A.; Amusa, T. A, & Eze, N. M. (2009). Entrepreneurial competency required by
students of schools of agriculture in south western Nigeria for processing cocoyam
into flour and chips for employment on graduation. Nigerian vocational journal 13, 1,
1-12
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A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
Anyakoha, E. U, (2006). Practical tips for economic empowerment and survival. Nsukka: AP
Express
Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). Nigeria National policy on education (4th edition)
Lagos: Nigeria Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) Press.
Nworgu, B. G. (1991). Educational Research: Basic issues and Methodology. Owerri:
Wisdom publishers Limited.
Olaitan, S. O. (2004). Vocational education and national manpower development. In E. O.
Ojo, E. S. Udo and A. C. Abebe (Eds). Manpower development and utilization in
Nigeria. Lagos: University Press.
Olaitan, S. O. & Mama, R. O. (2001). Principle and practice of school farm management.
Owerri: Cape publishers International Limited.
Olaitan,S. O, Eze, S. O, & Ogbonnaya, E. (2009). Entrepreneurial competencies required by
secondary school graduates for entering into oil palm processing enterprise in south
eastern states of Nigeria. Nigerian vocational journal. 13, 1, 70- 79.
Okoro, T. C. (2007). Office management theory. Aba: Model Academic publishers
Robert, A. M. (2013). Basic workshop processes in manufacturing. Uyo: Inela venture and
publishers Ltd.
Robert, A. M. (2016). Promoting self-directed learning and self regulated learning among
technical college students for higher academic achievement: The role of the teachers.
Nigerian Association of teachers of technology (NATT). Annual national conference
book of proceedings. 17th -20th. 18-31.
Robert, A. M. & Udoh, V. E. (2015). Girl child personality factors: options for improving
their attitude and self concept for effective participation in the study of technical
subjects in Awka Ibom state. Journal of sustainable education. 6, 1, 64-76
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A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
Vocational Education and Acquisition of Skills for Self - Reliance
Ekaette Emenike Iroegbu
Department of Curriculum Studies,
Educational Management and Planning,
Faculty of Education
University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
[email protected]
+234 (0) 803 933 2908
Abstract:
The paper observes that the graduates being churned out today lack the requisite skills
needed in today’s labour market and this inhibits the graduates from being self-reliant. In
view of this therefore, this paper examined the role that vocational education plays in skills
acquisition and self-reliance. It also discusses vocational education and skills acquisition for
self-reliance. The study made recommendations such as setting up a department of skill
training and development by the federal ministry of education in every tertiary educational
institution, ensuring that more practical work is introduced to complement theory in
institutions of learning so as to provide skilled labour for the economy. Moreover, the federal
ministry of education and other stakeholders should embark on programmes that highlight
the benefits of vocational skill acquisition training. This will encourage the interest of both
parents and students to the programme among others.
Keywords: Education, vocational education, skill acquisition, self - reliance.
Introduction
It is generally observed that university education is no longer a passport to secure
employment for graduates. This requires young graduates to consider entrepreneurship and
self-employment as a viable career option. The graduates being churned out today lacks the
requisite skill set needed in today’s labour market and this inhibits the graduates from being
self-reliant. Education should not be seen as an avenue to fill the head with literacy and
numeracy, rather it should provide an avenue for students to go on a self-discovery journey.
Such education does not just focus on the theories taught, but on how those theories could be
a target tailored at meeting the needs of each individual thereby helping the students to
discover their uniqueness.
The relationship between education and development of society finds expression in
huge sums of government revenues committed to educational expenditures. One thing that
baffles many authorities, especially researchers in education, is the fact that the stakeholders
in-charge have not realized its vision of equipping pre-tertiary graduates with self-
employable skills given the fact that there is a rising unemployment rate among graduates of
all levels in Nigeria. It has been suggested that the quality of education that is received in
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schools are unable to equip students with the skills necessary for self-employment (Addae-
Mensah 2000) and once the formal sector employment opportunities are enclosed, graduates
have very little to offer in helping themselves for their own livelihoods. One reason that has
been suggested to account for the mismatch between education and acquisition of skills is
that educational policies usually take after western educational models that disregard the
contextual differences in developing regions, especially in Nigeria. These policies are usually
designed to offer skills relevant to formal sector employment, knowing that this sector is
woefully inadequate to accommodate the teeming unemployed graduates of all levels in
Nigeria.
The kind of education needed in the Nigerian economy of today is the one that will
help the students to discover their innate abilities, develop and refine them, deploy them with
skills and strategies in proffering solutions to the problems of our society both locally and
internationally.
Vocational Education
Education is meant to be a tool for an individual to acquire knowledge, use it to build
up his/her innermost capacity, become a better person, and touch the world at large.
Education in every human community is an indispensable instrument for human progress and
empowerment. This suggests that a nation that lacks a sound educational culture and
philosophy stands the risk of decay, whereas a nation that sees to the development of its
education is bound to achieve great success. Education, whether formal or informal is
generally accepted as a life-long endeavour that permeates individual’s life course from birth
till death (Miranda 2006) and largely involves the acquisition of necessary skills required to
perform roles in the economy. Education is human capital. Judging from the human capital
perspective, education is seen as the acquisition of assets or resources available to groups and
individuals, that is to say, knowledge and abilities people receive through formal and
informal education, training and experiences. From this perspective, it can be suggested that
education is human capital that, once acquired, enables its possessor to translate it into better
job, higher income, more authority and or more satisfying set of vocation.
Vocational Education can be described as an education that prepares individuals to be
able to work in a trade or a craft as a technician. Vocational education is sometimes referred
to as career education or technical education. According to Thompson (2002), vocational
education aims at the development of human abilities in terms of knowledge, skills and
understanding in order to efficiently carry out the choice of vocational pursuit. Abdullahi
(2011) posited that vocational education and training is an essential part of development for
any nation to grow economically. Abdullahi further added that most Nigerian youths have,
before now, been of the idea that the traditional four to five year university degree is the only
essential tool needed for self empowerment. This idea of vocational training skill acquisition
is being addressed as quite a handful of graduates and post-secondary students seek to
embrace vocational education and skill acquisition as an avenue to deal decisively with
unemployment and unholy dependence on white collar jobs. Hence, the organization of
vocational education in a narrow sense aims at developing the occupational capacity of its
participants.
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Skill Acquisition in Vocational Education
For a third world country especially Nigeria to be economically self-reliant, she must
necessarily diversify her economy as well as encourage the youth to embrace self-
employment through appropriate favourable policy environment that would facilitate skills
acquisition, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance. The place of skill acquisition cannot be
overemphasized in the rapid development of other sectors of the economy. The aims and
objectives of vocational and technical education as contained in the National Policy of
Education (FRN, 2004) are:
i. To provide trained manpower in the applied sciences, technology and commerce.
ii. To provide the technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural,
commerce and economic development.
iii. To provide people who can apply scientific knowledge to the improvement and
solution of environmental problems for the use and convenience of man.
iv. To give an introduction to professional studies in engineering and other technologies.
v. To give training and impart the necessary skills leading to the production of
craftsmen, technicians and other skilled personnel who will be enterprising and self-
reliant.
vi. To enable our young men and women to have an intelligent understanding of the
increasing complexity of technology.
A skill can be seen as a talent or ability an individual possesses and this could be
acquired through deliberate personal experiences, training, observation and practice. Skill
acquisition on the other hand involves the development of a new skill, practice or a way of
doing things usually gained through training or experience. Skill acquisition has been
described by many as the recipe for eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by creating
avenues for employment, thereby creating an avenue for jobs and wealth creation while
instilling self-sufficiency and reliance (Isaac 2011). Acquisition of skill has been conceived
as an effective remedy for self-reliance. The whole idea is that, students should be given skill
training in addition to their regular academic programme/ curriculum in the crucial sectors as
being demanded by the industry.
Gumbari (2011) declared that skill acquisition is the key in the fight for the
elimination of hunger and poverty, reduction or elimination of joblessness in the society and
reduction of crime through effective engagements of youths. Gumbari also said that no issue
should be addressed as a matter of urgent national importance than that of skill acquisition by
the youth considering the failure of our basic education to yield the expected positive results
with its attendant consequences such as armed robbery, militancy, kidnapping and a host of
others.
Donli (2004) is of the view that skill acquisition is the manifestation of idea and
knowledge through training which is geared towards instilling in individuals, the spirit of
entrepreneurship needed for meaningful development. Donli stressed that if individuals are
given the opportunity to acquire relevant skills needed for self-sustenance in the economy, it
will promote their charisma in any work environment. It was further maintained that skill
acquisition increases competition and cooperation among people.
Accordingly Magbagbeola (2004) posited that skills acquisition requires the
accumulation of different skills that enhances task performance through the integration of
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both theoretical and practical forms of knowledge. The guidelines for the sustenance of skill
acquisition programme were enumerated to include the followings; (Magbagbeola, 2004
p.57)
• Provision of training that gives the trainees the opportunities to acquire skills that are
appropriate for preparation in a field of trade for gainful employment.
• Provision of definite skills that relate to each trade that makes one a professional in
one field instead of the others.
• That trainings have to be done by competent, experienced and qualified instructors.
• Skills acquisition requires much practice, patience, interest, ability, aptitude and
personality traits.
Skill is very important in the life of every citizen. The reason why many technicians
earn higher than our university graduates is because the technicians acquired more skills and
were more practical than the theories the graduates were fed with while they were in the
universities. The absence of self reliance among our vibrant youth is as a result of the lack of
requisite skills to back up what they learnt from their institutions of learning.
A major set-back in the level of global competitiveness is our trained focus on
certificate-based education. Here, the major instrument for self-reliance is the certificate: and
so students also focus on any means possible to obtain the targeted certification instead of the
acquisition of relevant and beneficial knowledge. At the end of the day, a horde of certificate-
wielding graduates who are unemployable are churned out. It must be noted that it is not the
certificate that excels in workplace situations but the amount of expert knowledge and
innovative ideas brought to play by individuals. Most of the world-class inventors and
entrepreneurs do not possess more than high school grades. Some are high school dropouts,
but they inhabit innovative spirits imbued in them by nature and translated by their
environment and orientation. Such environment and orientation are lacking in our clime. Our
orientation is that of making so much money within the shortest possible time; a virtue the
society recognizes and applauds.
Students and parents’ from affluent/middle class homes look down on skill
acquisition. They feel it is meant for the less privilege members of the society. They make it
unpopular among themselves and exhibit negative attitudes towards it. This partly explains
why most graduates are not interested in acquiring skills because they are influenced by the
formal sector employment. In the end, a large army of unemployable graduates increases the
unemployment rate in the industry.
Skill acquisition is needed in the education sector as it contributes to self-reliance and
is seen as essential for preparing one for employment. Thus an educated man is expected to
manifest worthwhile disposition in the society, for his own development and the development
of society. Ogundele (2010) submits that skilled personnel who will be enterprising and self-
reliant; people who can understand and adapt to changes in the increasing complexity of
technology; and people who can apply scientific knowledge to the improvement and as
solution to environmental challenges for the use and conveniences of man are needed.
Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition
In the fields of education, this is a model of how students acquire skills through
formal instruction and practicing. This model was proposed by two brothers named Stuart
and Hubert Dreyfus in 1980 in an influential 18-page report on their research at the
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University of California, Berkeley Operations Research Centre for the United States Air force
Office of Scientific Research (Dreyfus and Dreyfus, 1980). The original model proposes that
a student passes through five distinct stages: novice, competence, proficiency, expertise and
mastery. In the novice stage a person follows rules that are context-free and feels no
responsibility for anything other than following the rules. Competence develops after having
considerable experience. Proficiency is shown in individuals who use intuition in decision
making and develop their own rules to formulate plans. Expertise is characterized by a fluid
performance that happens unconsciously, automatically, and no longer depends on explicit
knowledge. The progression is thus from rigid adherence to rules to an intuitive mode of
reasoning based on tacit knowledge.
The acquisition of skills is a learning process and is obviously factual. Hence the
Dreyfus model attempts to be a factual-conceptual model, a theory or at least an outlook of
how we acquire diverse skills using this model in a prescriptive way must elicit a more
critical eye to see if novices must receive an education where rules are the only important
things to learn in a de-contextualized environment. Finally, the complexity of all the
processes implied in learning must be acknowledged. It should not be by merely accepting
the temptation to oversimplify these complex processes, and intentionally ignore information
from science, particularly from cognition, psychology, and neuroscience.
Vocational Education and Skill Acquisition for Self-Reliance
Usoro (2010) observed that the failure of Nigeria’s higher educational institutions is
hinged on their products’ (graduates) lack of the skilled required by the labour market and
that the trend had resulted in mass graduate unemployment, since they would have assisted
them to be self-reliant. There is a high level demand for skilled workers in oil, industrial and
service sectors but the supply is far below expectation, and since there are fewer job openings
than the graduates, the major challenge facing the nation is to equip the graduates in
particular and youths in general, with appropriate skills and competencies for self-
employment and self-reliance. The possession of these skills needed by the labour market
will enable the youths contribute maximally to national development and make the society
safer, richer, better and prosperous.
Self-reliance is the autonomy of decision- making and full mobilization of a society’s
own resources. It also means self-confidence, reliance primarily on one’s resource, human
and natural, and the capacity for autonomous goal-setting. A self-reliant person is an
individual who relies on oneself or on one’s own powers and resources, depending less on
other people in the management of human and material resources. According to Ofoye
(2010), individuals will be self-reliant when they have possible cause to access and utilize the
essentials of life which includes good food, clothing, shelter, medication, transportation and
functional education.
For most people, education has not realized its expected ends because majority of
students from pre-tertiary to tertiary institutions usually leave school lacking the basic skills
for entrepreneurship. Nyerere in Sabbi, Amankwah and Boateng (2009) on educational policy
of “Education for self-reliance” suggested that basic education should not just be a
preparation for higher education, but instead, it should be complete education in itself that
provides knowledge, skills and attitudes. It should go beyond teaching school children the
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basic numeracy and literacy but rather produce individuals that are thoroughly integrated into
local life. This is the idea of self-reliance propelled by education.
Self-reliant education could be viewed as the development of knowledge, power, as
well as the feeling of responsibility in the individual. It emphasizes freedom and
independence of the self, it encourages creative thinking as well as practical creative
transformation activity and it means self-emancipation and self-realization (Nyerere in Sabbi,
Amankwah and Boateng, 2009). Nyerere also opined that quality education is one that
prepares learners for occupations in agriculture, carving, blacksmithing, etc. and when
education fails in any of these fields of knowledge, skills, and attitudes for change in both the
individual and the society, then the society’s progress falters and learners may come to find
that their education has prepared them for a future which is not open to them.
Self-reliant education should not be confined to manual or physical capacities only,
but also to one’s intellectual, social and political life. Critical thinking is a crucial attribute of
a self-reliant person. He or she must be critical and independent in his thinking and action.
Impact of Skill Acquisition
Persons with relevant and additional skill set will be fully engaged in the Nigerian
society where opportunities abound, waiting for the skilled graduates and youths to take up.
Such engagements will not only provide them with the basic needs of life but will in turn
provide jobs for others. Acquisition of additional skill set will bring about societal
empowerment by providing jobs, develop entrepreneurial ability which in turn will ensure
financial independence and assure a better standard of living.
It will help the youths to develop positive attitudes towards work and labour. A large
chunk of our youths roam the streets and it is disheartening that all we do is brandishing them
as street urchins. Nwanaka and Amaehule (2011) opined that possession of skills is important
in preventing youths from becoming social misfits; because these skilled persons become
gainfully employed through vocational training and acquisition of skills. Nwanaka and
Amaehule also said that vocational and technical training helps to arrest some social ills such
as armed robbery, stealing and youth restiveness among others. When a skill is acquired in
any discipline, it is assumed that the future gains that would result from it will be of great
significance to productivity. It will prepare the individual to fit in readily to employment in
all sectors of the economy, showcase his/her talents, and make intelligent use of the brain in
terms of new discoveries and innovations that will upgrade the individual’s status within the
society.
Acquisition of skills will develop individuals who are problem solvers and
economically productive, individuals who do not need to wait for a white collar job to survive
but will create jobs for others. It will enable them have the spirit of adventure, exploration
and discovery which will in turn help the nation to overcome the problem of unemployment
which is currently bedeviling the nation.
Skills acquisition involves different ways through which graduates and youths can be
trained to achieve self-reliance rather than waiting for jobs in the formal sector alone. It is
believed that training through skill acquisition programmes will enhance their sustainability
in different fields of trade. This is possible when the culture of creative ideas is instilled in
them to make them productive and self-reliant members of the society.
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Recommendations
1. Tertiary institution students should be given vocational skill training in addition to
their regular academic programme in the crucial sector as being demanded by the
industry, as a remedy to the mis-match between educational output and requirements
of the labour market in order to enhance the employability of students passing out of
school.
2. The federal government and well-meaning Nigerians should help these young people
undertake trainings to acquire relevant skills that will take them out of the streets and
make them contribute meaningfully both to their families and society at large.
3. Educational planners should pay careful attention to the logistic and support factors in
the educational policy which are crucial to the attainment of the quality of education
for self-reliance. This should be done by improving the curriculum requirements for
desirable skills outcome.
4. Due to the negative attitude of some parents and students towards skills acquisition,
there is the urgent need for the director in charge of school services in the federal
ministry of education and other stakeholders to embark on programmes that highlight
the benefits of skills acquisition training so as to encourage the interest of both parents
and students to the programme.
5. The wide gap between the classroom and the industry should be eliminated by skills
acquisition policy through the adoption of a 30:70 ratio of theory to practical.
Educators should administer more practical work to complement theory in our
institutions of learning in order to provide skilled labour for the economy.
6. A department of training and development should be set up by the federal ministry of
education in every higher educational institution. This department will be responsible
for identifying training needs of youth, designing and implementing training and
development programmes which would ensure high performance level of youths on
graduation.
References
Abdullahi, S.M. (2011). Entrepreneurship Skills Needed by TVET Students for Effective
Learning in Technical Colleges of Northern Nigeria. Journal of Science, Technology,
Mathematics and Education (JOSTMED), 7 (2): 140-148.
Addae-Mensah, I. (2000). Education in Ghana: A Tool for Social Mobility or Social
Stratification? The J.B. Danquah Memorial Lectures, Academy of Arts and Sciences,
Accra.
Dreyfus, S.T. and Dreyfus, H.L. (1980). A Five Stage Model of the Mental Activities Involved
in Directed Skill Acquisition. Washington, DC: Storming Media.
Donli, J.G. (2004). An Overview of Nigeria’s Economic Reforms. Central Bank of Nigeria.
Economic and Financial Review, 42 (4).
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Federal Republic of Nigeria, (2004). National Policy on Education. (4th edition) Lagos:
NERDC Press.
Gumbari, J. (2009). “The Importance of Skills Acquisition: A challenge to Nigerian
Legislator”. The National Assembly Legislative Digest. Available at
http://www.nasslegisdigestonline.com/newsdesc.php?id=134. Retrieved: August 13,
2016.
Isaac, N. (2011). Skills Acquisition: Tonic for Economic Empowerment (Online). Leadership
Newspaper. May 22 2011. Available at:
http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/163/2011/05/22skills_acquisition-tonic-economic-
empowerment.html. Retrieved: July 29, 2016.
Magbagbeola, N.O. (2004). Theoretical and Conceptual Issues in Economic Sector. Central
Bank of Nigeria. Economic and Financial Review, 42 (4).
Miranda,G.(2006). Social Transformation, Education, Culture and Human Development: In
Some Crucial Development Issues Facing Ghana. Academy of Arts and Sciences
Proceedings (2006), Accra.
Nwanaka, C.R. and Amaehule, S. (2011). Skills Acquisition: Imperative for Business Studies
Educators among Secondary Schools in Rivers State. Mediterranean Journal of
Sciences. 2 (7): 37-43.
Ofoye, O.I. and Asarah, M. (2010). Skills Acquisition through Fine and Applied Arts in
Nigeria: Problem and Prospects, 6 (1): 139-145.
Ogundele, A.G. (2010). Higher Education and Employability in the International Labour
Market: The Need for Technical Education. Retrieved from
www.cefwa..net/compilation_for_proceedings.pdf-Nigeria. p.219.
Sabbi, M., Amankwah, J.S and Boateng, J.D. (2009). Education for Self-Reliance in Ghana:
Rethinking the Quality of Pre-Tertiary Education. Educational Research Network for
West and Central Africa.
Thompson, G. B. (2002). Information Literacy Accreditation Mandates: What They Mean for
Faculty and Librarian. Library Trends, 51 (2): 218.
Usoro, E. B. (2010). Developing Human Resources in Tertiary Business Education for Youth
Empowerment and National Development in Nigeria. Review of Higher Education in
Africa. 2 (1): 13-23.
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Pre-service Teachers’ Personality and the teaching in Secondary Schools in
Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Dr. Victor A. Torubeli & Dr. Apuega R. Arikawei2
Dept of Educational Foundations, Niger Delta University,
Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State.
e-mail: [email protected]:
[email protected]
Abstract
This paper examines the philosophy of teaching practice students’ personality and secondary
school students’ academic performance in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The papers used John
Holland’s. personality theory of career choice which stated that occupation is a way of life,
and extension of personality as well as an attempt to implement one’s broad personality
behavioural styles. The paper further examined the six personality types with the
corresponding six environmental types as postulated by John Holland. The paper concludes
in examining factors that promote the personality of the teaching practice teacher and
academic performance. The paper upheld the view that the personality of the teacher is
indisputable in his relationship with students and influences the academic performance of
students.
Keywords: Personality, teaching practice, students, academic performance, Traits, Learners
Introduction
Teaching is an art as well as a science to bring about an expected change of
behaviour. Thus, the skills required to impact knowledge are therefore tedious and tasking.
Since teaching makes a difference in the total development of the individual, whatever it
takes to ensure maximum utilization of basic skills of teaching must be observed.
The teacher play a significant role in human development and are regarded as
engineers in molding the human personality, Asuru (1999). There are three outstanding
individuals in our society whose decisions or opinions can hardly be ignored. Whatever that
proceeds from their mouth is considered undisputable and unchallengeable. These authorities
are: (1) The Pastors; (2) The Referees, and (3) The Teachers. So teachers are highly respected
by students. So whatever they tell students is hardly disputed (Torubeli, 2013).
Meaning of Teaching Practice
Teaching practice is the vital segment of teacher education programme worldwide
whose emphasis is always in the classroom reality (Paulley, 2012). Thus, teaching practice is
an apprenticeship /internship programme in which learning experiences include opportunities
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for practice activities whereby students assume the role they will play on successful
completion of their training as teachers (Agi 2008). Thus, Teaching Practice is a pre-
certification teaching that is intended to offer opportunities for the acquisition, development
and refinement of necessary knowledge, skills, behaviours, attitudes and responsibilities that
are basic for successful teaching career. Teaching practice is regarded as a preparatory period
and an opportunity for student to put into actual practice many of the things learned
concerning effective teaching. As a result, it is regarded as the engine room for quality
teacher education programme. Paulley (2012) and Ifeagwu (2000) outlined the following as
purposes for teaching practice.
1. Gives the student opportunity to relate his studies to his future career.
2. Helps to evaluate the entire programme of teacher education on whose basis some
fine tuning may be made where necessary.
3. Leads to the evaluation of the student’s personality as the exercise appraises the
student teacher who is forced to play varied and at times difficult roles.
4. Serves as a testing ground for demonstrating professional competency in the
subject matter areas assigned to the teacher through constant interaction with
pupils, the school environment, co-operating teacher and such other persons in the
school system.
5. Provides the student teacher with the opportunity to get involved with the many
activities of learning such as classroom management, planning, preparation of
materials, presentation of information, problem solving, discussion, evaluation,
among others. In the process, the student teacher extends the textbook knowledge on
child development into the real world situation.
6. Prepares the trainee teacher attitudinally for the teaching profession.
7. Helps the trainee teacher to develop independent living, interpersonal
relationship and thereby exposes the student teacher to life outside the formal
school setting and outside his home.
8. Provides schools in the catchments area of teachers thereby lightening the work
load of co-operating teacher academically and administratively.
9. Provides an attempt to establish a link between education theory and practical
skills, as in the teaching profession, theory should guide and shape practice. There is
thus a link to create a link between theory and practice and there is no better avenue
to achieve this for the student in teacher preparation institutions than teaching
practice.
Teaching Practice exercise therefore enables the student teacher to put into practice the
pedagogical training he has received in methodology courses. It is the gate way to one of the
world’s greatest profession that brings about creativity and innovation. It is for this reason
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that teacher preparation involves a traditional practice of teaching to bring about teacher who
can create, innovate, and effectively apply the new and innovative concepts to generate new
subjects, concept, curriculum, teaching techniques, lessons and courses to drive the reforms
(Torubeli, 2013).
The Teaching Practice Student Personality
Generally, personality refers to the stable attributes that totally make-up an individual
that are likely to influence others (Torubeli, 2016). Thus, a teacher can be said to be
impressive or repulsive, domineering or submissive. This view equates personality to
reputation and impression. e.g physical appearance, mode of dressing, conversation and
acceptable code of conduct ( Azubike, 2006). Thus, the teaching practice teacher can be said
to be impressive or repulsive, domineering or submissive. The teacher is either accepted or
rejected in the classroom if his personality is impressive or repulsive or domineering. The
student teachers are encouraged to be democratic by showing deep understanding of the
students’ temperament and to adapt all educational materials and strategies to start the needs
and abilities of children. A democratic student teacher need to encourage critical thinking,
creative and caring among learners and totally eliminates deviant behaviours due to
calculated application of diplomacy and tact in all classroom and school activities (Azubike,
2006).
The student teacher is equally encouraged to delegate and share some responsibilities
with the students, who may be involved in some educational planning and decision making.
This can endear the student teacher to the students, who are already motivated to perform due
his personality and high regards for them (Azubike, 2006). The personality of the student
teacher can be likened to an actor on the stage, who acts a professional script. Any
characteristic problem of the student teacher must be relegated to the background, while the
acquired professional characters are projected to the fore front. This implies that all the
physical, social, emotional and psychological frustrations of the student teacher must not be
noticed by the student or any other person while performing the professional duties in the
school and the community. So the personality characteristics of a student teacher go a long
way to determine the amount of learning required by the students (Torubeli, 2016).
According to Torubeli (2013), studies have shown that if a teacher makes a mistake,
generations yet unborn may suffer the consequences. This is because the action or inactions
of a teacher affects eternity and generation of life in the society. Before his retirement, an
average teacher would have affected 50,000 people. To this effect, the teacher is considered
the key to the prosper development of the child. The student teacher today like the permanent
teacher at whatever level is still reverenced, adored and loved by students. It is widely
acknowledged by psychologists that career choice remain the impeccable influence of
internal or intrinsic factors. These factors are considered innate or personal to the individual.
They are: interest, motivation, self-concept, intelligence, aptitude etc. There is indeed the
connectivity between teaching as a vocation and the teacher’s personality in his relationship
with students’ academic performance and self-actualization (Torubeli, 2013).
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Personality Traits of the Teacher
The teaching profession like every other profession has its expected characteristics or
qualities that every conscientious, dedicated, motivated and hardworking teacher must
possess. It is often said that “without good teachers we cannot have qualitative education and
without qualitative education we cannot make successfully, the challenges of the changing
world and achieve satisfactory national development. Since this is the case, the role of
teachers in students’ academic performance cannot be ignored. Teacher no doubt serves as a
real life models to students and whatever behaviour or character they exhibit to a large extent
goes to influence the moral, emotional, spiritual and intellectual development of the student.
This is because going by the theory of observational social learning, children imitate
admirable models.
The Teachers Personality, Students’ Relationship and Academic Performance
The teacher’s personality positively and negatively influences the overall
development of the child. A teacher must be aware of children’s needs and develop insight
into human behaviour if he is to facilitate learning and adjustment (Alhassan, 2013).
According to Ikejiaku and Torubeli (2006), John Holland postulated the personality theory of
career choice which stated that occupation is a way of life, an extension of personality and an
attempt to implement one’s broad personal behavioural styles in the context of a job. The
following teacher’s personality will be looked at from John Holland’s contribution.
1. The realistic teacher (Motoric Personality)
The realistic teachers are usually found of task that is demanding much dexterity.
They indulge mostly in activities where they can display their energy in the light of Holland’s
theory. Hence, they love occupations of masculine in nature; they are usually aggressive or
sadistic according to Sigmund Freud’s theory on the negative fixation of the anal stage. The
implication is that an aggressive teacher would definitely scare his students. Students do not
like to learn under tension or intimidation. Having chosen this part of career, teachers, even
if it is for the time being should watch what they say and how they say it. However, let it be
noted that some of such realistic people are found among the engineers, boxers, farmers etc.
2. The investigative teacher (intellectual personality) The investigative teachers are
good thinkers. They tend to avoid anything that would bring them very close to the people.
They are good in discovery, have high level of cognitive ability. Since they are busy
most of the times solving intellectual problems, they hardly give time to listen to
others. They are most found among the natural scientists, the biologist, chemists, physics,
mathematics etc. Most investigative teachers like teaching but unfortunately have poor
human relations. And since students love caring and understanding, their relationship with
such teachers always and up in a disaster. The investigative teacher of course, has no excuse
in this regard, having chosen teaching as a profession. He should as a matter of necessity
engages in the training of his temperament because some of them are emotionally
unintelligent.
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3. The social teacher (supportive personality). The social teacher is a lover of the
people. The social teacher is emotionally intelligent. People under this type of personality are
extrovert and people oriented, and as such, any services like teaching and counselling they
are there. Since they have amiable personality sometimes their passion for students are
wrongly interpreted or misdirected. It is therefore, necessary for a social teacher not to
abuse his natural empathetic personality at the expense of students which may amount to
seduction. This of course classifies such a teacher as morally unintelligent.
4. The conventional teacher (conforming personality). A conventional teacher is
usually conservative. He obeys the rules and regulations to the letter. The conventionalists are
known for doing the right thing, often very rigid to a fault. Sometimes, the society sees
them as good disciplinarians. The conventional teacher is usually distanced and
respected by students. Some of the teachers who fall under this category are usually
economics teachers, accounting teachers, business studies teachers, commerce teachers,
Christian Religious Knowledge Teachers etc. These teachers are highly introverted. The
implication is that since students tend to distance such teachers, efforts should be made for
them to be able to reach out to others. This can be achieved through counselling and feedback
communication.
5. The Enterprising Teacher (Persuasive Personality). An enterprising teacher is the
teacher with the gift of eloquence. He has high verbal skills for teaching and convincing his
students.
Enterprising teachers are usually ambitious and over-domineering. They are highly
extroverted and optimistic. Typical examples of enterprising teachers are history,
government, social studies, business studies, management and marketing teachers. Since
such teachers are easily admired by students, efforts should be made to always tell them the
truth, be honest with them and firm and not losing one’s integrity entirely in front of them.
Enterprising teachers should as a matter of importance to exhibit some level of decorum,
avoid entering into amoral sexual relationship with their students.
6. The Artistic Teachers (Aesthetic Personality). An artistic teacher is usually a good
entertainer. He is gifted with artistic touch of making people laugh and happy all the
times. Artistic teachers are highly creative. Apart from the fact that they are good in modeling
and in public appearance, they can be found among literature, fine arts/creative arts, physical
and health education teachers, games masters, choir masters etc.
Artistic teachers are greatly adored and admired by students. The fact that they are highly
extroverted makes them reachable and approachable by students. For this singular reason,
students easily fall prey to their devilish desires and this is dangerous. To this effect,
artistic teachers must avoid any act capable of luring them into irresponsible sexual behaviour
with students’.
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Factors that Promote the Personality of the Teaching Practice Teacher towards better
Academic Performance
Based on the fact that personality can be formed and modified by nature and
environment, certain factors which are capable of promoting the personality of the teacher
while in and out of the classroom as highlighted by Azubike (2006) are articulated below.
1. Mastery of content:
This implies having adequate knowledge, control and command of the teaching subjects as
the case may be, to the point of over learning. The secret of this mastery is that teachers must
sufficiently prepare for the presentation of any content or topic, which will involve
continuous reading, searching and a good lesson plan.
The lesson plan among other minor details should include discrete topic, specific observable
and behavioural objectives, entering behaviour, needed instructional materials, teaching
strategies to be applied, and a well-developed content development as well as the teacher’s
activities and the student’s activities. The idea of searching is that he will continue to read
everything that comes his way, especially when they are related to the teacher’s teaching
subjects. This helps in discovering new facts that will aid mastery and improves the
vocabulary acquisition of the teacher. A teacher that has sufficient mastery of a content can
teach and facilitate for a whole duration of a lesson without looking into any notes or books.
This goes a long way in raising the estimation and reputation in which a teacher is held by the
students.
2. Love and knowledge of the learners:
This implies that the learner is the centre of all educational intentions and applications
and should be closely studied, to identify their needs, interests, abilities, aptitudes and socio-
cultural backgrounds. This will enable the teacher to design every educational package to be
useful and meaningful to the learners. The teacher that sufficiently show love, understanding
and kindness with reasons, becomes more effective and productive in the school than the
autocratic teacher. The personality of the undemocratic teacher is usually regarded by
students as repulsive, while that of a loving and understanding teacher is regarded as
impressive by the same students.
3. Possession of friendly, calm, pleasant and clear voice:
Students prefer to be taught by teachers who possess friendly and clear voice modulation than
to those with husky and unfriendly voice and monotone. The ability of the teacher to adapt all
verbal sounds to suit the interests and needs of the learner promotes learning, teaching and
the reputation of the teacher. The students learn better and faster, when the teacher uses a
friendly interactional style, which also allows greater verbalization and participation from the
learner.
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4. Sense of humour and humility
These qualities are usually distinct in the characters of teachers and promote to a great extent
the personalities of the teachers. Humour sense implies the ability to say or perceive things
that are funny and amusing, especially when applied to further the course of the lesson. This
is capable of easing any tension in students, because it serves as a stimulus variation, in
learning.
Sense of humility on the other hand, implies the quality of being humble and modest in all
human dealings and interactions with others. Who could be in the classroom. This enables the
teacher to wilfully accord the deserved respect to students, staff and other members of the
society, without unnecessary arrogation of pride.
5. Flexibility in the use of methods, materials and strategies:
A teacher that uses a variety of productive methods, materials and teaching strategies
is always a friend to the students, because his lesson periods are usually interesting, eventual
and sufficiently motivating to the learners, who look forward to his lesson with enthusiasm.
While students discuss and expect yet another exhibition of attractive professional
competence, the personality of such a teacher is soaring high among the populace, because
the students will always say good thing about him, anywhere they go.
Flexibility in the use of methods of teaching implies the calculated variation and
adaptability of productive methods of teaching and learning to suit varied conditions or
circumstances of learning. For instance, a teacher who circumstantially started a difficult
topic using the lecture method could easily switch to more students’ participatory methods,
like activity, discovery, community of inquiry, project etc. The teacher should also vary the
use of educational materials and examples to suit the low, normal and exceptional learners in
the class, knowing fully well that learners learn at different rate and pace. The needed
examples must appeal to the senses of sight, hearing and touching, because they learn more
from what they see, hear and manipulate through touching.
Also, flexibility in the use of teaching strategies implies the productive use of all eight
isolated skills, chosen in preference to others and intelligent use of other lesser mannerisms at
the appropriate times, within the duration of a lesson. Any method, material or strategy used
at any moment must be geared towards the achievement of the specific, observable and
behavioural objectives of the lesson movement.
6. Appropriateness in dressing:
All trained, committed and competent teachers already know that there is a silent dressing
code that is acceptable in the noble profession of teaching and learning. Teachers do not over
dress or under dress while going to the school to teach. Students tend to be distracted when a
teacher dresses sp gorgeously while teaching them. The same students quietly make mockery
of the teacher and the profession, when a teacher dresses shabbily. Female teachers
particularly, should avoid putting on wears that would reveal the shape and contours of the
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breast and buttocks, both in and out of the classroom. Students tend to be distracted when
such teacher is writing on the chalk board while backing the learners. So, the mode of
dressing of any teacher is capable of making or marring the personality characteristics of that
teacher.
7. Maintenance of acceptable decorum:
Due to the fact that the entire society looks up to the teachers as possible models for their
growing children, the competent professional teachers and even the remaining auxiliary
colleagues are constantly under pressure to maintain acceptable levels of politeness and
socially correct behaviours. Teachers are encouraged to use every opportunity to inculcate
moral principles and precepts to the younger generations. Precept here, implies the rule of
acceptable behaviour which promotes the social norms and values. By so doing, the teacher’s
personality will be highly respected by the society and would promote academic performance
of students and self-actualization.
Conclusion
Teaching is a unique and intrinsically moral enterprise. Whether a teacher likes it or not, he is
a moral instructor, a moral educator and a moral model for his students. He is the change
agent and transformer of the society. Thus, the role of the teacher’s personality is
philosophically indisputable influence to the students’ academic performance and self-
actualization. Therefore, the teacher’s relationship with the students should be that of
maintaining decorum that would transform the society.
Recommendations
It is therefore recommended that:
1. Practicing student teachers should be properly supervised by all the stakeholders in
the teaching profession like their training institutions, officials of the ministry of
education, the teachers registration council of Nigeria (TRCN) to ensure that the
would be teacher is made to operate within minimum guidelines during their
formative years of training to precede being license to teach upon graduation.
2. School authorities should ensure that practicing student teachers who are posted to
their schools are fully engaged in all school activities to give them a sense of direction
on work schedules and the operations of school duties.
3. The practicing student teachers should be made to conform to a national dressing code
during the period of internship. This will make them develop a sense of identity,
dignity and worth like the law or medical students in similar professional training.
4. The teaching practice student should imbibe the spirit of responsible teacher bebavior
and obedience to constituted authority. This will help to build on trust between the
practicing student teacher, the teachers, students and society at large.
5. The industrial training fund (ITF) should extend payment of stipend to student on
teaching practice. This will assist them meet certain exigencies during the period of
their teaching in training to boost their morale and secure from them responsible
behaviour.
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Reference
Agi, C.W (2008). Understanding guidance and teaching methods. Port Harcourt: Rokin
Enterprises Ltd
Alhassan, A.B (2013). Fostering mental health of the teacher and school children. In I.O
Salawu, A.I Ikeotuonye and J.O Inegbedion (eds). Perspectives of Nigerian Education
Lagos: National Open University.
Asuru, V.A (1999), Learning and purpose of teaching practice. In N.A Asuru (Ed). Teaching
practice. A practical guide. Port Harcourt Minson Publishers.
Azubike, N.O (2006). Micro practicum to link practice. Onitsha: West and Solomon
Publishing Co. Ltd.
Azubike, N.O (2006). Personality of the teacher. In P.E Eya, B.U Maduewesi, D.A Aboho
and :L.I. Zaria (eds). Contemporary issues in teaching practice. Onitsha: West and
Solomon Publishing Co. Ltd.
Ifeagwu, D (2000). Special methods teaching practice for students and teachers in Africa.
Lagos: Dic Publishing Ltd
Ikejiaku, L.A & Torubeli V.A (2006). Introduction to Guidance and Counselling: Principles
and Practice. Lagos: Eldona Nig Ltd
Paulley, F.G (2012). Improving the policy of teaching practice supervision for quality teacher
production in Nigeria: The collaboration option. In S.D Osaat (ed). Contemporary issues
in Nigerian Education. Port Harcourt: Sabcos publishers.
Torubeli, V.A (2013). Students and Teachers Relationship: the place of teachers in students
academic performance and self-actualization. An unpublished paper, Department of
Educational Foundations, Niger Delta University Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State.
Torubeli V.A (2016). Teaching practice student personality and dressing. An unpublished
paper Department of Educational Foundations, Niger Delta University Wilberforce
Island, Bayelsa State.
Torubeli, V.A. (2013). Teacher creativity, innovation and emotional intelligence for
transformational education in Nigeria. In I.O Salawu, A.I Ikeotuonye and J.O Inegbedion
(eds) perspective on Nigerian Education. Lagos National Open University.
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Influence of Organizational Culture on the Performance of Medium Sized
Companies Operating in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Rev. (Sis) Stella Mathew Usen (Ph.D) & Commy P. Goddymkpa
Department of Vocational Education
University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
Abstract
This study examined the extent to which organsational culture is valued and practiced among
medium sized companies operating in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. it also assessed the
influence of the practiced organsational culture on the performance of the companies. The
research was survey research employing the Ex post facto research design. the population of
the study is 48,786 consisting of 40,673 middle level employees and 8113 top level
management of medium sized enterprises operating in Akwa Ibom State. Purposive sampling
technique was employed to derive a sample size of 2300 comprising of 2000 middle level
employees and 300 top level management. The study adopted the “Organizational Culture
Assessment Instrument” (OCAI) proposed by Cameron and Quinn (1999) and the
performance variables proposed by Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1983) in Domingo and Antonio
(2011). These are standardized instruments; therefore, there was no further need for further
validation and reliability. The mean and the standard deviation was used to answer the
research question one while regression was used to answer research question 2 and to test
the null hypothesis at .05 level of significance. The result shows that there was a less extent of
the implementation of organizational culture among medium sized companies. The result also
showed that there is no significant influence of the implemented organizational culture on the
performance of medium sized companies in Akwa Ibom. It was recommended among others
that Company leaders and top management of medium sized companies should develop
orgnsational culture consciously.
Keywords: Employees, Performance, Organizational Culture, Values, Company
Introduction
Organization Culture refers to a system of shared meaning held by members that
distinguishes the organization from other organisations. Culture has its origin in the
organisational interaction. Organization Culture is the fabric of meaning in terms of which
human beings interpret their experience and guide their action. Edgar (2010) defined
organizational culture as a pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it
solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well
enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way
you perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.
Basically, organizational culture is the personality of the organization. Culture is
comprised of the assumptions, values, norms and tangible signs (artifacts) of organization
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members and their behaviouurs. Members of an organization soon come to sense the
particular culture of an organization. Culture is one of those terms that's difficult to express
distinctly, but everyone knows it when they sense it. For example, the culture of a large, for-
profit corporation is quite different than that of a hospital which is quite different that that of
a university. You can tell the culture of an organization by looking at the arrangement of
furniture, what they brag about, what members wear, etc.
Corporate culture can be looked at as a system. Inputs include feedback from, e.g.,
society, professions, laws, stories, heroes, values on competition or service, etc. The process
is based on one’s own assumptions, values and norms, for example, an organization’s values
on money, time, facilities, space and people. Outputs or effects of culture are, organizational
behaviours, technologies, strategies, image, products, services, appearance, among others.
Every organisation has its own unique culture even though they may not have consciously
tried to create it. Rather it will have been probably created unconsciously, based on the values
of the top management or the founders or core people who build and/or direct that
organisation. Over time individuals (particularly the organisation's leaders) attempt to change
the culture of their organisations to fit their own preferences or changing marketplace
conditions. This culture then influences the decision-making processes, it affects styles of
management and what everyone determines as success and most importantly, the
performance of the prganisation. When an organisation is created it becomes its own world
and its culture becomes the foundation on which the organisation will exist in the world.
People's actions in organisations are not always their own but are largely influenced by the
socialisation processes of the specific culture to which they belong (Daniel and Jerome,
1997).
Organizational culture is the key to organizational excellence and the function of
leadership is the creation and management of culture. Interpreting and understanding
organisational culture is an important activity for managers and consultants because it affects
strategic development, productivity and learning at all levels. Cultural assumptions can both
enable and constrain what organisations are able to do.
Organizational Culture and Performance
Organizational culture is an essential element that helps companies to achieve its set-
goals and targets. According to Rosenthal and Masarech, (2003) in Domingo and Antonio
(2011), if managers change the values, rules and customs of the company, they could modify
employees’ behaviour and attitude, leading to an improvement in the firm performance.
A primary aspect of organizational culture is its relationship with organizational
performance. An increasing body of evidence according to Domingo and Antonio(2011)
supports a linkage between an organization's culture and the firm’s performance. Small and
medium sized organizations according to Sandino (2007) may not provide sustainable
performance unless their organization’s culture and people are fully prepared and aligned to
support changes. Culture is what distinguishes truly high-performing organisations from the
pack. Given its relevance to productivity, organizational culture is becoming a key
managerial instrument to enhance performance. Some research studies show that companies
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with well established cultures achieve higher performance than those characterized by weak
cultures (Kotter and Heskett, 1992; Gordon and Di Tomaso, 1992). A well developed
organizational cultures facilitate the stability of the performance in uncertainty environments.
Statement of the Problem
A well crafted organizational culture is based on values that enhance a shared view of
the organization. Managers and employees feel part of a unique project, where the benefit and
individual improvements return directly on the benefit and improvement of the team and of
the organization as a whole. The challenge with medium sized companies in Nigeria in trying
to implement innovative culture is exacerbated by the not so friendly business environment in
Nigeria, the issue of business policy summersault, overreliance on government, constant
change and longing to survive. However, these challenges, while a problem, could also serve
as an inspiration for companies to define their paths through organizational culture. Failure to
implement organizational culture by management has the capacity to cause a company to
drift, loose focus, loss revenues and weakened performance.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to determine the influence of organizational culture
on predicting the performance of medium sized companies in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Specifically, the study sought to
1. Determine the extent of implementation of organization culture by companies in
Akwa Ibom State.
2. Determine the influence of the implemented organizational culture on the
performance of medium sized companies in Akwa Ibom.
Research Questions
The following research Questions guided the Study
1. What is the extent of implementation of organization culture by companies in Akwa
Ibom State?
2. What is the influence of the implemented organizational culture on the performance
of medium sized companies in Akwa Ibom?
Null Hypothesis
The following hypothesis was tested
Ho1: There is no significant influence of the implemented organizational culture on the
performance of medium sized companies in Akwa Ibom.
H1: The implemented organizational culture influences positively the performance medium
sized companies in Akwa Ibom.
Methodology
The research was survey research employing the Ex post facto research design. the
population of the study is 48,786 consisting of 40,673 middle level employees and 8113 top
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level management of medium sized enterprises operating in Akwa Ibom State. Purposive
sampling technique was employed to derive a sample size of 2300 comprising of 2000 middle
level employees and 300 top level management. The study adopted the “Organizational
Culture Assessment Instrument” (OCAI) proposed by Cameron and Quinn (1999). These
authors identify four cultures: market, hierarchy, clan and adhocracy, in relation to two
dimensions. The first dimension shows the company orientation towards control, stability and
order. The companies within this dimension fluctuate between, on the one hand those with
high stability, predictable and order emphasis, and on the other hand those maintaining high
flexibility levels, organic structures and adaptation skills. The second dimension regards the
internal versus external business orientation. The clan culture is typical in companies that
look for the internal control of the organization but with flexibility, worrying about its
employees and showing a special customer concern. The adhocratic culture is related to
companies focused on external aspects of the organization, looking for a high degree of
flexibility and innovation. The market culture appears in those organizations that stress the
external orientation of the business, but considering at the same time the need for control and
internal stability. The hierarchical culture pays special attention to internal aspects requiring
control and stability (Domingo and Antonio, 2011).
This research also adopts the performance variables proposed by Quinn and
Rohrbaugh (1983) in Domingo and Antonio (2011). According to Domingo and Antonio
(2011), these authors set a framework for the organizational analysis, distinguishing three
dimensions within organizational efficiency. The first dimension relates to the organizational
approach, from an internal point of view, based on a “micro“ perspective about good
understanding and development of personnel, to an external one, whose emphasis relays on a
“macro” level of business success. The second dimension is focused on the organizational
structure, making emphasis on business stability and flexibility. The third dimension is based
on organizational means and aims. These are standardized instruments and therefore, there
was no further need for validation and reliability test. The mean and the standard deviation
was used to answer the research questions while regression was to test the hypothesis at .05
level of significance. If the p-value is less than .05 (p<.05), the alpha level, the result is
statistically significant. If it p>.05, the result is statistically not significant.
Discussion of Findings
Research Question 1: What is the extent of implementation of organization culture by
companies in Akwa Ibom State?
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Table 1: Summary of Respondents on the Extent of Implementation of Organization
Culture by Companies n = 2300
S/N Item description Std. Remark
Dev s
Company definition: how would you define your company
using the statements given below
1 It is like a great family. People share a lot of values with the others. 3.20 1.45 GE
2 It is dynamic and adventurous firm. People defend their ideas and 3.30 1.38 GE
take risks.
3 It is leaded to obtain results. People are very competitive and 3.20 1.29 GE
focused to accomplish with targets.
4 It is very hierarchical, formalized and structured company. 3.45 0.83 GE
5 There are procedures and rules for any operation. 3.47 1.05 GE
Company managerial style:
6 Promote working as team, consensus and participation. 2.68 1.02 GE
7 promote individual initiatives, risk taking, and innovation 3.12 1.30 GE
8 Promote aggressive competitiveness and the achievement of 3.09 1.04 GE
ambitious goals.
9 promote employment stability and little uncertainty 2.24 1.47 LE
Shared values by personnel 2.32 1.18 LE
10 Loyalty, commitment, each other trustiness and team work. 2.55 1.12 GE
11 Commitment to innovation and continuous development
12 Aggressiveness, winner attitude and the achievement planned 2.14 1.18 GE
goals.
13 Respect towards established rules and company policies as well as 2.29 1.26 GE
accomplishment with organizational hierarchy
Key issues for the business success 2.44 1.31 GE
14 Team work, commitment and employee satisfaction 2.20 1.45 GE
15 Development of new and innovative products
16 Market entrance and market share. Maintain leadership in the 2.30 1.38 LE
market.
17 Efficiency, manufacturing planning and low costs strategy 2.20 1.29 LE
Cumulative Mean 2.28 LE
Table 1 gives the summary of the Mean and standard deviation of the item analysis of
the extent of implementation of organization culture by medium sized companies. The result
shows that when it comes to company definition, all the respondents agreed to a great extent
of the company being like a family, its dynamic and adventurous nature. The respondents all
agree to having a great company managerial style. However, on shared values and key
business success issues, the respondent were of the opinion that the values were implemented
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to a less extent. The cumulative Mean response is 2.28, this indicates that there is a less
extent of implementation of organization culture by companies in Akwa Ibom State.
Research Question 2: What is the influence of the implemented organizational culture on
the performance of medium sized companies in Akwa Ibom?
Table 2: Summary of the regression test for influence of the implemented
organizational culture on the performance
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta
1 (Constant) 57.612 1.530 37.653 .000
Org. Culture .880 .623 .069 1.413 .158
a. Dependent Variable: PERFORMANCE, r=0.29, R2=0.0841
Table 2 gives the summary of the regression coefficients. The result shows that for
every unit rise in organizational culture, performance increases by 0.88. the result also shows
that the r-value (correlation index) is 0.29, indicating a low positive relationship between
organizational culture and performance. The result further shows that the coefficient of
determination (R2) is 0.0841, indicating that 8.41% changes in performance is as a result of
organizational culture.
Testing the Null Hypothesis.
Ho1: There is no significant influence of the implemented organizational culture on the
performance of medium sized companies in Akwa Ibom.
H1: The implemented organizational culture influences positively the performance medium
sized companies in Akwa Ibom.
Table 3: Summary of Significant Test for influence of the implemented organizational
culture on the performance
Model Sum of df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression Squares 1.997 .158a
1 174.202
Residual 174.202
Total 36471.760 2299 87.253
36645.962
2300
Not significant at .05
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Table 3 shows the summary of the regression-ANOVA test for influence of the
implemented organizational culture on the performance. The result shows that p>.05. Since
p-value is greater than the alpha level, the null hypothesis is upheld. Thus, there is no
significant influence of the implemented organizational culture on the performance of
medium sized companies in Akwa Ibom.
Discussion of Findings
The result of analysis shows that there is a less extent of the implementation of organizational
culture in medium sized companies in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. the result also shows that
there is no significant influence of the implemented organizational culture on the
performance of medium sized companies in Akwa Ibom. Companies that value loyalty rules
and procedures with less value towards employee job satisfaction as a culture may suffer
some setbacks in performance. This is corroborated by Merchant and Van der Stede (2012)
and Simons (1995), which found that companies with strong control systems including strict
rules and procedures create boundaries within which employees must perform. It is possible
that too many or too strict rules and procedures decreases the employees’ opportunities or
willingness to be innovative and creative and test new business opportunities. This may then
result in companies losing business opportunities and maybe lead to a decrease in
performance.
Conclusion
Companies are composed of multiple variables and work in a complex and
multivariate world. Studying the impact of one or two variables in isolation would seem
relatively inconsequential and artificial. However, to include them all would be impossible.
The results provide evidence on the link between organizational culture and performance.
This study concludes that organizational culture do not operate in isolation, but they have to
be considered as a total package. The research concludes that the implementation and
moderation of organizational culture will improve the performance of medium sized
companies.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made
1. Company leaders and top management of medium sized companies should develop
organisational culture consciously.
2. Medium sized executives should lead by example by modeling the culture for their
employees.
3. A hand book of the company’s culture should be made available for staff. Also, the
organizational, vision, goals, objectives and core values should be placed visibly at
strategic points of the company office and properties.
4. The effect of the culture should be measured periodically. This can be achieved by
bringing in outside consultants to help in objectivity of assessment.
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References
Cameron, K. S. and Quinn, R. E. (1999). Diagnosing and changing organizational culture.
Base on the competing values framework. Addison-Wesley. Reading.
Daniel, D & Jerome, E. (1997). Enhancing Organizational Performance. National Research
Council. National Academy Press. Washington. D.C.
Domingo, G. & Antonio, D. (2011). Innovative culture, management control systems And
performance in young SMEs. Innovar , 21 (40): 1-17.
Edgar Schein (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership, 4th Edition. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, Jossey-Bass.
Gordon, G. G. and Di Tomaso, N. (1992). Predicting corporate performance from
organizational culture. Journal of Management Studies; 29: 783-799.
Kotter, J. R. and Heskett, J. L. (1992): Corporate culture and performance. New York. Free
Press.
Merchant K.A., Van der Stede, W., 2012. Management Control Systems, Performance
Measurement, Evaluation and Incentives. Third edition. Prentice Hall.
Quinn, R.E. and Rohrbaugh, J. A (1983). Spatial model of effectiveness criteria: towards a
competing values approach to organizational analysis. Management Science; 29(3):
363-77.
Rosenthal, J. and Masarech, M. (2003). High performance cultures: How values can drive
business results. Journal of Organizational Excellence; 3-18.
Sandino, T. (2007). Introducing the first management Control Systems: evidence from the
Retail Sector. The Accounting Review, 82 (1): 265-293.
Simon, R. (1995). Levers of control: how managers use innovative control systems to drive
strategic renewal. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
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Evaluation of Educational Input, Process Variables and Learning Outcome
as Determinants of Quality Education in Nigeria
Fehintola, J. O. Ph.D
Dept. of Guidance & Counselling,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan,
Nigeria
E-Mail: [email protected]
Abstract
This study is designed to examine the composite and relative effects of educational input,
process variables and learning outcomes on quality of secondary school education among
selected employers of labour in south west, Nigeria. Descriptive research design of
correlational type was employed to investigate the relationship that exists between the
educational input, process variables and learning outcomes on quality of secondary school
education among the selected employers of labour in south west, Nigeria. 518 employers of
labour in south west, Nigeria were used for the study with 323 males and 195 females.
Primary data were collected from the concerned individuals using questionnaire tagged
“Perception of Employers’ of Labour on input, process variables and learning outcomes on
quality of secondary school education in Nigeria”. This instrument was divided into five
sections viz the demographic, input, processing, product and quality of secondary school
education sections, all together has a test-re-test reliability coefficient of 0.71. Correlation
and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the three research questions that were
raised. The result revealed significant composite effect and relative contributions with
curriculum as the most potent predictor (β = 0.544; t= 7.692; p< 0.05), followed by teachers
quality (β = 0.531, t=12.767, p<0.05) followed by school friendly environment (β = 0.445, t=
5.696, p<0.05) followed by evaluation of learners (β = 0.405, t= 3.924, p<0.05), followed by
learners support (β = 0.107, t= 1.987, p<0.05) and learners’ discipline (β = 0.176, t= 2.369,
p<0.05). Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that parents should see to
the education need of their children early enough. Also, that teachers’ quality should be
looked into on issues of teaching-learning; curriculum implementation, learners support and
learners discipline. Also, that curriculum should be prepared so as to make it relevant to
individuals, cooperate existence and at large for national development.
Keywords: Evaluation, Input, Process variables, Learning outcome, Quality education.
Introduction
Education is the universal phenomenon which allows all human societies to develop
the prerequisite knowledge, experience and skills for their preservation and growth. It is a
tool for imparting knowledge, a process by which an individual acquires the physical, social,
intellectual and moral capabilities required to function effectively and become a useful
member of his/her society. It is an instrument par excellence for effecting national
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development (FRN, 2004), as well as for individual socio-economic empowerment and
poverty reduction. For education to be useful in proper manpower development, it has to be
qualitative. Qualitative education is not only essential for meeting people’s basic needs, but is
also fundamental in fostering the conditions for global peace and sustainable development.
All young people need to learn in active, collaborative and self-directed ways in order to
flourish and contribute to their communities.
Along with the basics, they need to acquire attitudes, values and skills as well as
information. Their teachers, peers, communities, curriculum and learning resources must help
prepare them to recognize and respect human rights globally and to value global well-being,
as well as equip them with the relevant skills and competencies for 21st century employment
opportunities. To achieve this, it is not enough to measure what learners learn: it is essential
to target the classroom experiences that fundamentally shape student learning, and emphasize
the range of skills required for lifelong well-being and societal cohesion like- quality of
teachers, frequent evaluation, learners support, school friendly learning environment and
learners discipline.
Quality content refers to the intended and taught curriculum of schools. National
goals for education, and outcome statements that translate those goals into measurable
objectives, should provide the starting point for the development and implementation of
curriculum (UNICEF, 2000). Research on educational practices and projections about future
needs in society contribute to current understanding of the structure of school curriculum. In
general, curriculum should emphasize deep rather than broad coverage of important areas of
knowledge, authentic and contextualized problems of study, and problem-solving that
stresses skills development as well as knowledge acquisition. Curriculum should also provide
for individual differences, closely coordinate and selectively integrate subject matter, and
focus on results or standards and targets for student learning (Glatthorn & Jailall, 2000).
Curriculum structure should be gender-sensitive and inclusive of children with diverse
abilities and backgrounds, and responsive to emerging issues such as HIV/AIDS and conflict
resolution. In all content areas, curriculum should be based on clearly defined learning
outcomes and these outcomes should be grade-level appropriate and properly sequenced. The
specific content of school curriculum, however, depends on local and national values. In the
main subject areas of primary education, which include language, math, science and social
studies, little variation is found among different regions in the developing world.
There is need to more attention on educational processes — how teachers and
administrators use inputs to frame meaningful learning experiences for students. Their work
represents a key factor in ensuring quality school processes. This affects educational quality
since student achievement, especially beyond basic skills, depends largely on teachers’
command of subject matter (Mullens, Murnance & Willett, 2006) and their ability to use that
knowledge to help students learn. Whether a teacher uses traditional or more current methods
of instruction, efficient use of school time has a significant impact on student learning.
Teachers’ presence in the classroom represents the starting point. The highest quality
teachers, those most capable of helping their students learn, have deep mastery of both their
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subject matter and pedagogy (Darling-Hammond, 1997). The preparation that teachers
receive before beginning their work in the classroom, however, varies significantly around
the world and even within the least developed countries. Teachers are the main key to
improving learning. They have a powerful impact on the quality of student learning.
However, many countries, particularly the developing countries, are facing an acute shortage
of qualified teachers, while serving teachers are paid poorly (and sometimes irregularly) and,
because of the scanty qualifications needed to enter, suffer from low social and professional
status. The teachers in quality education must put the child in the centre and helps it to reach
his or her full potential. Quality Education requires children’s active participation and the
teacher is leading drive.
Good teachers are skilled not only in instructional methods, but also in evaluation
and assessment practices that allow them to gauge individual student learning and adapt
activities according to student needs. This process should include both performance
assessment and assessment of factual knowledge. Observations in Guinea and India found
that teachers are very poorly trained in evaluation techniques, and the reality is far from the
continuous evaluation procedures recommended by official programmes (Carron & Chau,
2006). Indeed, many teachers and educational systems continue to rely almost exclusively on
traditional paper-and-pencil tests of factual knowledge that tend to promote rote
memorization rather than higher order thinking skills (Colby, 2000). Regular, reliable, timely
assessment is a key to improving learning achievement. The goals of timely assessment are to
give learners feedback and improve learning and teaching practices. Formative assessment is
needed as a complement to formal examinations. How can we provide quality education? A
detailed answer to this question is beyond this study; however, the following observations
elicited from the review report give direction for quality primary education in our schools.
The current state primary school curriculum comprises a commendable mix of areas of
knowledge that offer opportunities for the holistic development of individual pupils. The
curriculum areas include English language, mathematics, religion, science and technology,
social studies, physical education, expressive arts (drama, art and design, music, movement)
and personal and social development. All these areas are important as they cover the multiple
intelligences identified by leading educational psychologists (Gardner, 2003).
Parents may not always have the tools and background to support their children’s
cognitive and psychosocial development throughout their school years. Parents’ level of
education, for example, has a multifaceted impact on children’s ability to learn in school. In
one study, children whose parents had primary school education or less were more than three
times as likely to have low test scores or grade repetition than children whose parents had at
least some secondary schooling (Willms, 2000). Parental education not only influences
parent-child interactions related to learning, but also affects parents’ income and need for
help in the home or field — help that often comes at the expense of keeping children in
school (Carron & Chau, 2006). Parents with little formal education may also be less familiar
with the language used in the school, limiting their ability to support learning and participate
in school-related activities. The effects of schools in poor areas can often outweigh the
impact of family background and practices (Willms, 2000). Further, although many
constraints exist, schools can play a role in helping parents to enhance the ‘home curriculum’
and improve the quality of parental involvement in their children’s education. Strategies
include, for example, partnering with organizations that can affect parenting in the pre-school
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years such as public health providers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs); asking
parents to participate in assessment of their child’s progress, offering clear, regular, non-
threatening communication; and including parents in decision-making groups at the school
(Redding, 2000). Healthy children with positive early learning experiences and supportive,
involved parents are thus most likely to succeed in school. Quality teachers need similar
support for their tasks in schools.
Learning can occur anywhere, but the positive learning outcomes generally sought
by educational systems happen in quality learning environments. Learning environments are
made up of physical, psychosocial and service delivery elements. Physical learning
environments or the places in which formal learning occurs, range from relatively modern
and well-equipped buildings to open-air gathering places. The quality of school facilities
seems to have an indirect effect on learning, an effect that is hard to measure. Some authors
argue that “extant empirical evidence is inconclusive as to whether the condition of school
buildings is related to higher student achievement after taking into account student’s
background” (Fuller, 2009). A study in India, however, sampled 59 schools and found that of
these only 49 had buildings and of these, 25 had a toilet, 20 had electricity, 10 had a school
library and four had a television (Carron & Chau, 2006). In this case, the quality of the
learning environment was strongly correlated with pupils’ achievement in Hindi and
mathematics (Carron & Chau, 2006). In Latin America, a study that included 50,000 students
in grades three and four found that children whose schools lacked classroom materials and
had an inadequate library were significantly more likely to show lower test scores and higher
grade repetition than those whose schools were well equipped (Willms, 2000). Other studies,
carried out in Botswana, Nigeria and Papua New Guinea, concur with these latter findings
(Pennycuick, 1993).
The quality of school buildings may be related to other school quality issues, such
as the presence of adequate instructional materials and textbooks, working conditions for
students and teachers, and the ability of teachers to undertake certain instructional
approaches. Such factors as on-site availability of lavatories and a clean water supply,
classroom maintenance, space and furniture availability all have an impact on the critical
learning factor of time on task. When pupils have to leave school and walk significant
distances for clean drinking water, for example, they may not always return to class (Miske &
Dowd, 2008). Even when schools do have adequate infrastructure, parents may be reluctant
to allow children — especially girls — to attend if they are located too far away from
children’s homes. In general, parents often consider the location and condition of learning
environments when assessing school quality, and this can influence school participation.
Provision of health services and education can contribute to learning first by reducing
absenteeism and inattention. Sick children cannot attend school, and evidence from China,
Guinea, India and Mexico shows that children’s illness is a primary cause for absenteeism
(Carron & Chau, 2006). Today, the potential of school-based health interventions in
improving academic performance is becoming increasingly clear as problems of protein
energy malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency disorders, helminthes infection and temporary
hunger among children continue to plague developing countries (Levinger, 2002). School-
based deworming programmes in Guinea, for example, led to increased achievement
outcomes — failing scores fell from 32 per cent to 23 per cent over three years while passing
grades improved markedly (Williams & Leherr, 2008). 90
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Well-managed schools and classrooms contribute to educational quality. Students, teachers
and administrators should agree upon school and classroom rules and policies, and these
should be clear and understandable. Order, constructive discipline and reinforcement of
positive behaviour communicate a seriousness of purpose to students (Craig, Kraft & du
Plessis, 2008). It is important not to mistake small group cooperative learning for disorder,
however; although noise levels may increase, task-orientation and focus on learning signal
effective practices. Policies are also needed on bullying, harassment, drug and tobacco use,
and anti-discrimination with regard to disabilities, HIV/AIDS and pregnancy. Reducing other
forms of discrimination is also critical to quality improvement in learning environments.
Statement of the Problem
There was strong argument among sub-group of Nigeria populace most especially the
employers of labour, educators and researchers concerning the quality of secondary school
education in Nigeria and the trust that people have for our secondary school graduates in
Nigeria in terms of quality of education of secondary school. Some school of thought
believed that there is nothing wrong with quality of secondary school education in Nigeria
whereas some other school of thought believed that a lot is wrong with quality of secondary
school educational system. Majority of secondary school leavers or graduate are not
employable due to quality of education received when in school. As a results of this argument
the researcher embark on this study since quality of education received can be measured in
world of works in line with this the employers of labour were considered as the respondents
to determine the quality of education received by the secondary school graduates in south
west, Nigeria.
Purpose of the Study
The study is designed to examine the relationship between the educational inputs,
process variables and learning outcome on quality of secondary school education in Nigeria.
Also, it is meant to highlight both the composite and relative contributions of each of these
variables on quality of secondary school education in Nigeria.
Significance of the Study
Ascertaining the singular and collective relationship between educational inputs,
process variables and learning outcome on quality of education of secondary school in
Nigeria will challenge respective stakeholders to appropriately maximize the use of these
variables to promote quality of education of secondary school in Nigeria. Also, to
determining appropriate educational input, process variables and learning outcome and their
correct use will go a long way in enhancing secondary school quality education. When this is
done: both teachers and students will be satisfied, huge sums of money spent by parents in
engaging their children/wards in repeated examinations will stop, and government’s primary
objective to produce future patriots who are educationally and technologically sound will be
easily realized.
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Research Questions
The following research questions guide the course of this study.
1. Are there any relationships among the independent variables (curriculum, teachers
quality, school friendly environment, evaluation of learners, learners support and
learners discipline) and dependent variable (quality of secondary school
education?
2. What is the composite contribution of the independent variables to the dependent
variable?
3. What is the relative contribution of the independent variables to the dependent
variable?
Methodology: Descriptive research design of correlational type was employed to investigate
the relationship that exists between the educational input, process variables and learning
outcome (predictor variables) and quality of secondary school education (criterion variable).
The population for this study consists of the employers of secondary school graduates in
various sectors of our economy, the parents of secondary school graduates, teachers and the
secondary schools (school facilities such as library, textbooks in various subjects, furniture
for sitting and tables to write, well ventilated classroom and school records). 113 employers
of labours were selected, 201 secondary school graduates were also used while 104 parents of
secondary school graduates were also used and 100 secondary school teachers were used.
Therefore, the sample size used for this study is 518 participants altogether. Research
instrument (Quality of Education received when in school) was used to obtain the data from
the participants based quality of education received by the learners and the instrument was
reliable with reliability coefficient of 0.72 using split half method. On curriculum, teachers
quality and evaluation procedure of the students, these three variables are observed from the
schools used, using observational technique. Instruments on Learners supports and learners
discipline were administered on the parents to obtain data on these two variables. The
instrument was divided into three sections. Section A has to do with demographic data while
section B was based on learners support and section C was on learners discipline and the
instrument was reliable with reliability coefficient of 0.69. All the instruments put together
has reliability coefficient of 0.71 using test-re-test method. The sample consisted of 325
males and 193 females. Data were collected from the employers of labour
establishments/offices. Data collected were then analyzed using correlation and multiple
linear regression analysis at =0.05 level of significance.
Results:
Research Question One: Are there significant relationships among the independent
variables (curriculum, teachers’ quality, school friendly environment, evaluation of learners,
learners support and learners discipline) and dependent variable (quality of secondary school
education) among employer of labours in south west, Nigeria?
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A Publication of the Department of Vocational Education, University of Uyo, Nigeria
Table1: Summary of Test of significant Correlations among Independent Variables and
Quality of Secondary school Education in South West Nigeria
Currculum 1.000
TrtQuality 0.043 1.000
SchFriEnv 0.003 0.002 1.000
Evaluation 0.000 0.022 0.174** 1.000
LearnSupp 0.009 0.022 0.127** 0.541 1.000
LearnDiscip 0.085* 0.051 -0.071* 0.395* 0.546**1.000
QualityEdu 0.244* 0.205**0.286** 0.240** 0.390**0 .264**1.00
** Correlation Significant at 0.01 * Correlation Significant at 0.05
The results from Table 1 showed that there was a positive and significant relationship
between curriculum, teachers’ quality, school friendly environment, evaluation of learners,
learners support and learners discipline on quality of secondary school education in South
west, Nigeria. Quality of secondary school education had significant correlation with
curriculum (r = 0.244, p<0.05), with teachers quality (r = 0.205, p<0.05), school friendly
environment (r = 0.286, p<0.05), evaluation of learners (r = 0.240, p <0.05), learners support
(r = 0.390, p<0.05) and learners discipline (r = 0.264, p<0.05) of the respondents
respectively.
Research Question 2: To what extent would the joint contribution of the independent
variables predict quality of secondary school education among employers of labour in South
West, Nigeria?
Table2: Summary of Regression Analysis of the combined prediction of quality of
secondary school education by the six independent variables.
R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the
Estimate
0.739 0.553 0.546 11.02166
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Journal of Educational Realities aims to publish high quality papers in all areas of ‘Education and Social Science’. The journal also encourages the submission of useful reports of research results. This is a peer reviewed, subscription based International journal. This journal has 3 issues per volume and publishes 4 volumes per year.
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