NEEDS ANALYSIS OF THE NATIONAL DIPLOMA PROGRAMME IN ELECTRICAL ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING CURRICULUM IN PREPARING STUDENTS FOR EMPLOYMENT IN NORTH-WEST NIGERIA

Abstract

This study was a needs analysis of National Diploma in electrical/electronic curriculum in preparing students for employment.   The study adopted a descriptive survey design and posed six research questions and  formulated four  hypotheses to  guide the  study.    The population for the study consisted of 1023 respondents made up of 142 electrical/electronic teachers, 622 ND II electrical/electronic students, 134 industry-based supervisors, and 125 employed ND electrical/electronic graduates.   No sampling was conducted as the entire population of 1023 respondents was used in the study.  Six instruments were used for data collection.    The  curriculum  content  appraisal  questionnaire  (CCAQ),  made  up  of  two sections, was a  five-point rating scale used to obtain information on the relevance and adequacy of the ND electrical/electronic curriculum content.   The reliability coefficients of this instrument were 0.76 and 0.95, (Cronbach alpha (α)) for sections one and two respectively. The electrical/electronic subject matter test (EESMT) was a 100-item multiple choice tests administered on technical teachers to obtain information on the teachers’ subject matter knowledge. Its reliability coefficient was 0.92 using K-R 21.   Information on the practical  competence  of  electrical  teachers  was  obtained  using  the  electrical  teachers practical competence scale (ETPCS). This instrument has two sections.  The coefficient of internal consistency for section one was 0.97 (α) and the inter-rater reliability for section two was 0.76 (Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (W)). The electrical teachers pedagogical skill scale (ETPSS) was used to observe and rate teachers’ pedagogical skills during lesson presentations.   Its reliability coefficient was 0.81 (W).   Data on available facilities and equipment available at  the polytechnics were obtained using the electrical facilities and equipment check-list (EFECL).  Information on SIWES implementation was obtained using the students’ industrial work experience scheme implementation scale (SIWESIS).  It has a reliability coefficient of 0.83 (α).  Five experts drawn from the university, polytechnic, and industry validated each of the instruments.  The study was conducted in nine Polytechnics and 134 electrical services related industries located in the North-West zone of Nigeria.  The data collected were analyzed using mean and percentage, while the hypotheses were tested using Mann-Whitney U test, t-test, and ANOVA.  Some of the findings of the study included small gaps in curriculum content; large gaps in theoretical knowledge and moderate gaps in practical and pedagogical skills among teachers; and an extremely large gap in availability of training materials and equipment for the teaching of ND electrical/electronic course, among others.   Results from the hypotheses indicated no significant difference on subject matter knowledge,  practical  competence,  and  pedagogical skills  between  technical teachers  of federal and  those  of state  polytechnics, among others.    Some of the  recommendations proffered include the intensification of long and short term staff training to improve the quality  of teachers,  the  need  for  technical teacher  training  institutions  and  engineering faculties of universities to ensure that their training curricula reflect the need of employers, and especially the need of the curricula of other lower training institutions like the polytechnics, so that their graduates would be better prepared to handle the training needs enshrined in those curricula, and the need for the polytechnics to explore other sources of funding, such as through endowments, and establishing contacts with companies, NGOs, International Agencies, Alumni, and philanthropists for financial, material, and equipment donations to augment their learning resources.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The National Diploma (ND) in electrical/electronic engineering technology is a two year post secondary technical education that is provided in Nigerian polytechnics.   It is designed to produce electrical/electronic engineering technicians for the manufacturing, assembling, servicing, power generation, transmission, distribution and utilization, telecommunications and other related industries (National Boaard for Technical Education (NBTE), 2003).  The programme consists of four main components which include general education, foundation courses, professional courses, and Supervised Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES).   Teaching and evaluation of professional courses are undertaken by technical teachers that consist of lecturers and instructors, whose minimum academic qualifications are university Degree and higher national diploma, respectively. Guidelines on admission of students into the programme, teaching and learning techniques, evaluation procedure, conditions for graduation, personnel requirement, teaching facilities and equipment needed, and requirement for accreditation are contained in the curriculum.

A curriculum is a plan that guides the teachers on the various teaching/learning activities to be carried out in a given programme.  It is an educational plan that spells out which goals and objectives should be achieved, which topics should be covered, and which methods are to be used for learning, teaching, and evaluation (Wojtczak, 2002).  According to UNESCO (1993), curriculum is an overall plan for instruction, consisting of statement of aims and objectives, of content in terms of theoretical knowledge, practical skills to be

acquired,  attitude  towards  work,  and  necessary  support  materials  to  be  used  in  its

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presentation.  As it relates to this study, a curriculum is regarded as an educational plan that describes the goals and objectives needed to be achieved; the content in terms of technical knowledge and skills to be acquired; the conditions needed for achieving the goals in terms of buildings, materials and equipment, and types of teachers; and the variety of activities to be undertaken in the teaching, learning, and evaluation processes.

The curriculum for ND electrical/electronic programme outlined that graduates from the programme are expected to acquire practical skills and knowledge that will enable them carry out preventive and corrective maintenance on electronic/electrical installation, equipment, and appliances; assemble, install, and test run electrical and electronic equipment; and select and use appropriate instruments to carry out simple tests and measurements on all types of electrical and electronic installation and equipment.   The knowledge and skills should also enable them construct simple electrical and electronic circuits when necessary for use  in  modification or  as part  of a  system; and  prepare simple bills  of quantities and specifications  related  to  electrical/electronic  engineering  works;  among  others  (NBTE,

2003).

The content of a technical education curriculum is expected to provide deep coverage of important areas of knowledge and problem solving that stresses skills development as well as knowledge acquisition.   Perera (2003) maintained that vocational education curricular should aim at providing scientific knowledge, technical versatility, a cluster of core competences and generic skills as many occupations now require more than just technical competence.   Graduates of ND electrical/electronic programme are therefore expected to acquire both professional and basic competences to enable them function effectively. Dyrenfurth  (2000)  observed  that  employer  needs  have  changed,  and  that  even  though

fundamental technical skills are  still  important, but  employability and  basic  skills  have surpassed those that are machine or company specific.   In addition to professional competences, therefore, employers favour communication skills, ability in problem solving, business understanding, teamwork, adaptability to change, and ability to operate a computer and perform mathematical operations.    A relevant curriculum should reflect those requirements of business and industry (Keiser, Lawrenz, & Appleton, 2004).

Research studies, however, show that a large number of polytechnic graduates, including ND electrical/electronic graduates, do not possess adequate and relevant skills required by business and industry.  Akanmu (2010) reported that 30 per cent of the graduates could not find jobs due to inadequate or irrelevant skills, and that many of those who found jobs were not gainfully employed because they were forced to accept marginal jobs that did not use their qualifications.   A report by Kwaire (2006) indicated that some of the skills possessed by the graduates were not relevant to the market demand.  The lack of adequate and relevant work skills, therefore, makes the graduates unable to work as effectively as required by the employers.   Hence, in many cases employers need to compensate for insufficient academic preparation by organizing remedial courses for new employees (Dabalen, Oni, & Adekola, 2000).  The lack of adequate preparation of the graduates by the institutions has been blamed on poor quality teachers (Kalejaye, 2007; Aina, 2006; & World Bank, 2004), inadequate and obsolete facilities (Wodi and Dokubo, 2009 & Ashaye, 2007), and poor implementation of SIWES (Kayode, 2009).  The key to improvement in training effectiveness therefore lies with effective implementation of the curriculum provisions.

The extent  to  which the provisions of the curriculum are  implemented depends largely  on  the  competence  of  the  teachers  available.     According  to  Olaitan,  Igbo,

Nwachukwu, Onyemachi,  and  Ekong (1999), effective  implementation of any technical education curriculum depends on the quality of the teachers and their ability to effectively manipulate, operate, and use tools and equipment that are available for the teaching of students.  One of the important qualities of good teachers according to Leu and Price-Rom (n.d.) is “sufficient knowledge of subject matter to teach with confidence” (p. 8).  Research studies by Ballou (1996), Cohen and Hill (2000), and Darling-Hammond (2000) have shown a positive association between students’ achievement and teachers’ level of content knowledge.  Content knowledge is considered so important that the American Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) emphasized it in its 10 teaching standards.  This standard, written as principle, and reported by Borich (2011) states that “the teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students” (p. 28).   Technical teachers, therefore, need to have a deep understanding of their subject matter to enable them impart the necessary knowledge to the learners.  Content knowledge alone, however, does not produce effective teaching without some knowledge of pedagogy.

Effective teaching can be greatly improved when teachers apply pedagogy in their lesson presentations. Pedagogy refers to teaching skills teachers use to impart the specialized knowledge/content  of  their  subject  areas  (National  Board  for  Professional  Teaching Standards (NBPTS), 1998).  To teach effectively, teachers need to display a wide range of skills and abilities that will create a conducive learning environment where all students feel comfortable and are sure to succeed both academically and personally (NBPTS, 1998).  The African  Union  (2007)  observed  that  the  delivery  of  quality  technical  and  vocational

education is dependent on the competence of the teacher, competence measured in terms of theoretical knowledge and pedagogical skills.  This view is supported by Darling-Hammond and  Bransford  (2005)  who  maintained  that  effectiveness  of  technical  and  vocational education and training depends largely on the quality of the teacher and the instructional techniques used in lesson delivery.  A report by UNESCO (2004) emphasized that in order to improve learner outcomes, the teaching methods that facilitate active student learning rather than promote passivity and rote memorization need to be put into practice.  In contrast to this, however, Enemali (1998) observed that in most of the technical institutions, lessons were mostly theoretical; and that students virtually did not have the opportunity to apply what they have learnt in solving new or unfamiliar problems.  The poor formation of technical teachers in terms of pedagogical skills, observed Aina (2006), makes them handle their students as roughly and carefree as they handle science or engineering materials, resulting in teaching and  learning that  lack effectiveness.   Quality vocational programmes, therefore, require technical teachers that are not only knowledgeable in content and pedagogy, but also in practical skills.

The practical competence of the teacher is one of the leading factors that ensure effectiveness in vocational training.  Where the technical teacher does not possess the skills needed to practice a trade, it will be impossible for such a teacher to impart those skills to the learners. This is in line with one of Proser’s (1925) Principles on vocational training, as cited in the West Virginia Style (n.d.) that vocational education will be effective in proportion as the instructor has had successful experiences in the application of skills and knowledge to the operations and processes he undertakes to teach.   It has been reported by Kalejaye (2007) however, that many technical teachers in the polytechnics are deficient in practice.  Afonja,

Sraku-Larty, and Oni (2005) also observed that many members of the academic staff have very little exposure in engineering practice.  This results to situations where many students graduate with inadequate preparatory backgrounds for fitting into the world of employment (Ukutt, 1998).   The effect of the inadequacy of practical skills of teachers is further compounded by inadequate and inappropriate facilities in the institutions.

The inadequate and inappropriate teaching facilities and equipment has been observed to be a major obstacle to the provision of effective training in the polytechnics.   Onyene, Salisu, Johnson, and Olusanya (2007) found that physical and material resources used in teaching vocational and technical education for the production of skill-oriented graduates for the labour market are grossly inadequate.  According to Yakubu (2008), many polytechnics are facing the problem of inadequate and obsolete training equipment, especially for science and technology programmes.  He stressed that many of the available equipment lack current levels of precision, and are far below current industrial and training standards.   Wodi and Dokubo (2009) also reported that school equipment were not a true replica of those in industry.  Poor quality and inadequacy of equipment in some Polytechnics have also been reported by many researchers (Kayode, 2009; Ashaye, 2007; Adeyemi and Uko-Aviomoh,

2004; & Moja, 2000).   The poor state of facilities and outdated equipment means that students will not have adequate opportunities to acquire the necessary practical skills needed by the labour market.  In an attempt to improve on these job-specific skills, students are sent to relevant industries on Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme.

The students’ industrial work experience scheme was introduced to help improve the practical skills of students.  The scheme is aimed at providing opportunities for students to practice, in an industrial setting, those skills that they could not have enough opportunity to

practice in the school workshop.  The scheme is faced with many problems which include rejection of student trainees, uncooperative attitude by the industrial staff, inadequate exposure of students to meaningful jobs, inadequate supervision by the industries, inadequate access,  by  the  students,  to  the  machinery of the  establishments,  the  absence  of  a  job specification for the training, inappropriate placement, lack of standard training plans, poor evaluation, and short-term duration of the scheme (Ibitoye, 2010; Kayode, 2009; & Jen,

1988).    Instead  of practical  training,  many  students  are  used  for  assignments that  are unrelated to the primary purpose of their attachment (Odugbesan, 1995). As a way for improving the quality of the training, and the overall effectiveness of ND electrical/electronic programme, there is the need to make deliberate and conscious efforts towards ensuring quality.

Deliberate and conscious efforts towards improving teaching and learning effectiveness can be achieved by undertaking needs analysis aimed at identifying the gaps that exist in the implementation of the technical education programmes.  Needs analysis has been described by Casper (2003) as all the activities used to  collect  information about students’ learning needs, wants, wishes, and desires.  The term has also been explained by Watkins (2008) as a systematic process of acquiring an accurate, thorough picture of the strengths and  weaknesses of a  school community that  can  be  used  in  response  to  the academic needs of all students for improving students’ achievement and meeting challenging academic standards.   According to  Casper (2003), the process also  sometimes involves looking   at   the   expectations   and   requirements   of   other   interested   parties   such   as administrators, financial supporters, family members, and employers.

The conduct of needs analysis on the ND electrical/electronic curriculum will therefore help in the identification of the gaps that exist in it so that remedial action can be taken to improve on the training.   Better quality training is expected to produce a more competent graduate in terms of labour market skills.   Improvement in labour market competences among the ND graduates will enhance their employment prospects and productivity, promote better quality services and growth of the labour market, and ensure increased prosperity for the individual and the nation; hence the importance of this needs analysis study.

Statement of the Problem

Effective transition from technical school to the world of work has continued to be a problem in Nigeria due to either inadequate or irrelevant skills.   Amidst this problem of inadequacy and irrelevance of skills of graduates from technical training institutions, the labour market demand for skilled personnel is continuously changing as a result of globalization and liberalization of world economies.   The highly competitive environment under which the market economy operates will favour only the most competent worker.  For nations to participate meaningfully in the emerging world economic order they must improve their knowledge stock and learning capabilities, as education and training become significant.

The competitive environment in the demand for skilled labour makes it imperative for Nigeria to identify the specific gaps in its skill training with the aim of ameliorating the scourge of irrelevant skills.  The poor quality and irrelevance which characterize the skills possessed by graduates of technical education is of great concern to the stakeholders. Though the training programmes at the polytechnics are accredited by the supervisory agency, the NBTE, with the aim of ensuring quality, the exercise do not seem to promote the production

of quality graduates as envisaged in the  curriculum.  The needs analysis that needed to be done by the agency was not being done as the programmes were merely inspected in an exercise that concentrated on checking of records, buildings, and staff qualifications.    The inspections were not rigorous enough as to identify the gaps that exist in critical training areas, especially in relation to teachers’ competence, which is of great influence on teaching effectiveness.  There is the need for an independent study to determine the gaps that exist in the  training  programmes.    The  problem  of  this  study,  therefore,  is  the  need  for  an independent investigation to determine the gaps that exist in the implementation of ND electrical/electronic curriculum.

Purpose of the Study

The  major  purpose of this  study was  to  carry out  a  needs analysis  of the  ND electrical/electronic curriculum of polytechnics in North-West Nigeria.   Specifically, the study was to determine the gaps that existed in:

1.        The content of the curriculum of ND electrical/electronic programme.

2.         Theoretical knowledge of electricity/electronics which technical teachers should have for effective teaching of ND electrical/electronic courses.

3.         Practical competences which technical teachers must possess for providing effective skill training in ND electrical/electronic programme.

4.         Pedagogical skills which technical teachers of electricity/electronics should possess for effectiveness in the teaching of ND electrical/electronic courses.

5.        The  quantity  of  facilities  and   equipment   available   for   the   training  of  ND

electrical/electronic students.

6.        The  implementation  of  Students’  Industrial  Work  Experience  Scheme  for  ND

electrical/electronic programme.

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will be of immense benefit to the NBTE, administrators of polytechnics, the Federal Ministry of Education, Industrial Training Fund, technical teacher training institutions, technical teachers, curriculum planners, parents, and the society at large.

Information  on  the  gaps  in  professional and  practical  competences  of  technical teachers will be used by the NBTE and the administrators of polytechnics to form the basis for organizing staff development programmes aimed at reducing the gaps.  The information can also be used by technical teacher training institutions to modify their curriculum and teaching strategies in such a manner as to improve on those competences in their trainees.  It will also be a key factor to be considered during interview of lecturers.

The findings of this study will provide information to the ND electrical/electronic teachers on instructional strategies to be adopted in their teaching.  This will help improve teaching and learning outcomes.  If appropriate methods/strategies are adopted, the students will learn better and consequently graduate with enough skills to enable them enter into employment.

The Federal Ministry of Education, NBTE, and the administrators of polytechnics will benefit  from the  information provided by  the  findings on facilities and  equipment available for training.  The knowledge of quantity, quality, and relevance of facilities and equipment to current training standards and employers’ requirements will aid planning and budgetary allocation  for  procurement.    It  will  also  provide  basis  for  policy  regarding admission of new students based on availability and working condition of the equipment.

Teachers of ND electrical/electronic programme will find useful information from the findings on the gaps that exist in the content of the curriculum of ND electrical/electronic programme based on what the employers require.  The teachers will use such information to emphasise teaching and training on those competences which are considered critical for employability and performance.  This will mean that ND electrical/electronic students will graduate with the relevant skills needed by the labour market.  The information will also be used by curriculum planners and NBTE during curriculum reviews, such that the desired competences are given prominence in the curriculum.

The  findings on SIWES implementation will be of significance to the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), administrators of polytechnics, and NBTE.  The ITF will find useful information  regarding  placement  of  students,  supervision  and  evaluation  of  training activities, and use such information in policy improvement.   The administrators of polytechnics will also use the findings to improve placement activities, device strategies for a more effective students’ engagement in the training, and also strengthen supervision and evaluation activities.   The NBTE will use the findings for policy improvement and for its quality assurance role on the polytechnics.

Parents will benefit from the findings of the study as these will help promote greater skill acquisition by their wards as a result of improvement in teaching effectiveness.  When students are equipped with adequate and relevant skills, they are more likely to reduce their dependence on parents for essential needs as they will be gainfully employed.  The reduced burden on parents and the additional income from the children will help greatly in improving the welfare of the family.

The society at large will also benefit from the result of the study as it will help promote general improvement in knowledge and skills of the citizenry.  It is a general belief that no nation can experience development beyond the level of knowledge and skills of its people.   When the people, especially youths, acquire adequate and relevant employable skills, job prospects are greatly enhanced for them.  As the people are gainfully employed, the prosperity of the nation is improved, social vices are reduced, peaceful coexistence is enhanced, and welfare and happiness of the society is guaranteed.

Theoretical Significance

The study is of significance to the theories reviewed as it concerns the extent to which the findings support the thrust of the theories.   With reference to the systems theory, the findings of the study support the premise of the theory that the quality of output of a system can be affected positively or otherwise as a result of changes in the system elements.   As shown from the findings, deficiencies in the components of the curriculum have clearly affected the working of the system to the extent that the output, which was the graduates, was short of expectation.  Restoration of normalcy in the working of the system, according to the theory, will require the identification of the weaknesses in the system elements and effecting the necessary changes.  To that extent, the findings of the study support the major thrust of the theory.

The study is of significance to the discrepancy theory as it expands the areas of application of the theory, in particular to problems in vocational education, and not limited to management and social science disciplines. The successful identification of gaps that exist in the  components  of  the  curriculum  of  ND  electrical/electronic  based  on  the  theory’s

framework, means that the theory is equally applicable to many other disciplines, especially on issues requiring the identification of discrepancies.

The study is also of significance to the other theories that emphasize practice in authentic environment, under the supervision of skilled personnel, as the best way to acquire practical skills.  The findings of the study indicated large gaps in supply of teaching materials and equipment, and inadequacy of skills among teachers, which all contributed to the poor quality of the graduate.  Thus the study supports the theories’ position that the quality of the graduates depends, to a large extent, on the quality of the training environment and the personnel involved, among others.

Research Questions

The following research questions were used as guide for the study.

1.         What  gaps  exist  in  the  content  of  the  curriculum  of  ND  electrical/electronic programme?

2.         Which theoretical knowledge of electricity/electronics do technical teachers lack for effective teaching of ND electrical/electronic course?

3.         What practical competences do technical teachers of electricity/electronics lack for effective training of students in ND electrical/electronic programme?

4.         Which pedagogical skills do  technical teachers  of electricity/electronics  lack  for effectiveness in the teaching of ND electrical/electronic courses?

5.        What gaps exist in quantity of facilities and equipment available for the training of

ND electrical/electronic students?

6.         Which  gaps  exist  in  the  implementation  of  SIWES  for  ND  electrical/electronic programme?

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were formulated for the study and were tested at the 0.05 level of significance:

H01        The gaps that exist in theoretical knowledge of electricity/electronics possessed by technical teachers of federal polytechnics will not be significantly different from those possessed by technical teachers of state polytechnics.

H02        The  gaps  on  practical  skills  of  electricity/electronics  demonstrated  by  technical teachers of federal polytechnics will not be significantly different from those demonstrated by technical teachers of state polytechnics.

H03     The gaps in pedagogical skills demonstrated by technical teachers of federal polytechnics will not be significantly different from those demonstrated by technical teachers of state polytechnics.

H04        The mean responses of technical teachers will not be significantly different from that of employers and ND II electrical/electronic students on the gaps that exist in the implementation of SIWES programme.

Delimitation

This study was delimited to the examination of professional courses and the SIWES component of the ND electrical/electronic curriculum only.   It was also delimited to four federal and five state polytechnics as well as selected industries and public agencies in the North-Western States of Nigeria.  Jigawa state polytechnic, Dutse, was not involved in the study because it did not have any engineering programme at the time of the study.   All technical teachers of ND electrical/electronic programme (lecturers and instructors) of the affected institutions were involved.  It also included all industry-based supervisors that were

responsible for electrical/electronic sections of the selected industries and public agencies.  It was also delimited to current ND II electrical/electronic students, as well as employed ND electrical/electronic graduates, irrespective of gender, working experience, or mode of employment (paid/self-employed).

The study did not cover areas of funding, office accommodation, administration, admission, library services, and the teaching of other subjects in the curriculum, even though they all contribute to the overall success of the programme.

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