ABSTRACT
This study was carried out purposely to examine the challenges of the teaching of metalwork trade in Technical Colleges in Niger State and Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) Abuja. To achieve this goal, five research questions were developed and answered while five null hypotheses were formulated. A descriptive survey research design and structured questionnaires were adopted. The population for the study consisted of 29 principals and vice principals, 9 Head of Departments and 59 metalwork trade teachers of technical colleges that offered metalwork trade in Niger State and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The entire population was used. The instrument was validated by three lecturers from the department of Industrial and Technology Education Federal University of Technology, Minna. The reliability coefficient computed for the instrument was found to be 0.83 using Kuder Richardson K-R 21 formula. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while t-test was employed to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that management and instructional delivery are challenges of teaching metalwork trades in technical colleges. Infrastructure/facilities are not available for the teaching of metalwork trades in most technical colleges. The study further revealed that provision of qualified personnel, equipment and facilities, training of principals and metalwork teachers on management and instructional delivery strategies will reduce the challenges faced by the technical administrators, teachers and students.  The hypotheses tested revealed that there was no significant difference between the Mean responses of teachers and College administrators on the management, infrastructure/facilities, teachers related and instructional delivery challenges in the teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges. Consequently, it was recommended among others that equipment/facilities should be supplied to metalwork trades Department in technical colleges and  adequate number of  qualified  teachers  should be  recruited  to handle  all the  courses offered in metalwork trades section in the technical colleges.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Technical education is a comprehensive term used for those aspects of education systems involving the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes and knowledge related to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life (Guda, 2008).
Olaitan (1996) explained that technical education is education designed to develop skills, abilities, understanding, attitudes, work habit, appreciation, encompassing knowledge and information needed by workers to enter and make progress in employment in a useful and productive basis. The problems of technical education in Nigeria as enumerated by Guda (2008) are; shortage of qualified and competent personnel; inadequate training facilities among others. The persistent concerned among stakeholders in technical and vocational education about the significant increase in unemployment especially among graduates from Government Technical Colleges due to their lack of manipulative skills and inability to operate modern machine in the industry is yet to be addressed (Miller, 2008).
Okoro (1999) stated that Technical Colleges are regarded as the Principal vocational institutions in Nigeria which is designed to prepare the individual to acquire practical skills, knowledge and attitude required of craftsmen at sub professional level. He stated further that technical colleges give full craftsman training intended to prepare students for entry into various occupations. If graduates of technical colleges especially those of metal work trade in Niger State and Federal Capital Territory are to be self-reliant and be useful in the area of their discipline they must be trained for the jobs in the changing world of work owing to innovations and technological advancement in the metalwork industry. Meanwhile the training of the students can only be effective and meet the demand of today’s metalwork technology when the skills of technical teachers are improved.
In the recent time, the operation of metalwork has evolved from old mechanical technology to a high technology as technological advancement today shows that electronic components, computer software and complex computers have been integrated into every machine systems to run today’s metalwork and improve performance and efficiency of the metal worker. The integration of new and emerging components instantly transformed the technology of metalwork, where most major components are being modernized in recent time through the use of sensors, actuators and central unit from a central processing unit (CPU) or on-board computers. Okoro however lamented that the products of technical institutions do not have the knowledge and skills that will enable them to take up the available jobs. The insufficient college training in terms of technical skills required of the various occupations in metalwork trade has deprived or constituted the aparent failure of the college products to secure paid employment.
The National Policy on Science and Technology (1986), stated while many countries are in second phase of industrial revolution in which computer, robots, micro electronics, biotechnology, nuclear technology, etc are common place, we are yet to grasp the fundamental of first phase of industrial revolution which began in Europe in the eighteen century. It is not an understatement to state that the global trend in teaching of technology in school in the world is wheeling round continuous improvement of teacher in technological skills through retraining which is often necessary for sustaining quality performance on the job.
According to Daniel (2005), metalwork technology is the totality of all the process involved in the production of metal articles. The various areas of specialization in metalwork technology are fitting and machining, fabrication, welding, foundry and forging etc. Metalwork trade is one of the trades offered in most technical colleges in Niger State and Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria. Teaching metalwork trade in Nigeria technical college has been challenging. Technological  advancement  in  the  metalwork  industry has  brought  new  challenges  to  the teaching of the courses in recent times.
One popular maxim that has been dwelt on the National Policy on Education is that no education system may rise above the quality of its teachers. It is, however, pitiable or disheartening to imagine the present condition of technical teacher’s skill in metalwork trade in technical colleges. Nation policy on Education (FRN, 2004) stated that from all indications, there is a lack of quality in technology teacher training, including metalwork trade teachers in technical colleges. On the need for retraining of technical teachers, Olaitan (1996) in his contribution to retraining to retraining of technical teachers who were trained with obsolete equipment reiterated that these crops of teachers could be retrained through Technical Teacher Training Programme (TTTP). According to him, TTTP was meant to train and retrain technical educators who were either trained on absolute equipment or have worked with such equipment for so long that their skills need to be updated. For technical teachers in technical colleges to perform creditably, they should possess the necessary relevant adequate skills that will enable them tech well. This implies that teachers in technical colleges in metalwork trade must possess relevant and current technical skills in their various specialized occupations. There is obvious need for retraining the long serving metalwork teachers to keep them abreast with the contemporary practices in their arrears of specialization.
The consequence of poorly taught subjects such as metal work trade in the technical colleges is that students are unable to acquire the necessary saleable skills (Doolittle and Camp, 2000). This also accounted for poor performance of vocational education students at public examinations (Aina 2000) and at the work place when employed on graduation (NABTEB, 2002; Paris, 1998 and Shield, 1996). Â Since the teaching/learning strategies employed in the technical colleges are inadequate to prepare the students to face the challenges of the world of work, many of these students when they graduate, are found in the street without job because their training is inadequate for social needs (Olaitan, 1996).
Repp and Marcharty (1984), Ludung and McCarthy, (1982) stressed the need for metalwork teachers to have updated knowledge in machine shop practice which involve operational skills in lathe machine, drill press, milling, shaping, planning and grinding machine. The opinion of these experts above buttressed the need for technical teachers to get improvement in their skills and also keeps abreast of technological development in machine operation so as to impact same on their students before graduation. Upon this premise, this study has been designed to identify the challenges of teaching metalwork trade in technical colleges in Niger State and Federal Capital Territory and to further proffer solutions to them.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Technical education in Nigeria has been recognized as an instrument for meeting the nation’s manpower need in various sectors of economy and social life (Okorie, 2001). For this reason, Nigeria government has made some concerted effort towards improving the quality and quantity of manpower especially in technical areas. Part of these efforts is the increased funding and establishment of technical institutions since independence. Today, the number of technical institutions in this country has increased appreciably.
However, there have been numerous complaints about the competency and the qualities of graduates produced in technical colleges in Nigeria today. According to Tundunwada (1981),
most graduates are not properly prepared for work, especially for industries and commerce. Dikko (1998) also observed that there is growing concern among industrialist that graduates from technical institutions do not possess adequate work skill necessary for employment in industries. Presently, there is also a general concern over the apparent perceived falling standards of education and production of unskilled technical graduates who cannot cope with the world of work. The outcry of individuals and groups over the poor quality of technical college graduates being produced including those that studied metalwork trade suggest that there is a problem in the process of teaching the subject (Oloyede, 2010).
Technology in the world over is dynamic. With advancement in technology, many of the machines and equipment that are used in metalwork industries in Nigeria and world over are coming with new devices. For instance, the numerical control machine uses electronic system to control the machines in the form of numbers and letters. The process of controlling the operation of these machines has also been digitalized. Thus, technological development in the metalwork industries is in a constant state of change. The influence of these technological developments in metalwork industries has rendered training received by metalwork students in technical colleges inadequate for work in the industries due to various challenges faced by the students while creating the need for new and often sophisticated skills. Obviously, the metalwork industries need the service of craftsmen who can adapt to the changes in technology in the industries. Greater stress should therefore, be placed on equipping technical colleges with modern techniques and teaching strategies that will provide technical college graduates with broad learning and problem-solving skills in order to prepare them for a wide range of challenges posed by technological advancement (Szczurkwska, 1997).
Technological education is pivoted on the availability of qualified personnel, tools, equipment and machines which the students and staff will be using time to time. But the reverse is the case with technical education at technical college level today. In technical college today, the staffs are not enough, the machines and equipment are not available and where available, they are not adequate or obsolete. Students are expected to do a lot of workshop practice and laboratory experiments/practical. These practical can only take place in an environment where adequate and relevant tools and equipment are available. In a situation where consumable items are not provided, practical may not be effective even if machines and equipment are not in place. Unlike in the 1970s and early 1980 when consumable items were provided by the authorities, students are now expected to purchase these items and at times tools for their personal workshop practice. This is clearly not the best for teaching and learning as many of the students are not financially in a position to buy the items on their own. At the end of the day, no serious practical or workshop practice are done.
Some of the machines in the workshops and laboratories do not function because some part are not available to fix them up and so no practical can be done. It may sound funny that some students do not come in contact with simple machines throughout their stay in school only to be embarrassed when they get into industries. The industries are not willing to employ technical college graduate who are assumed to be “Practically deficient” only to start training them on the use of a lathe machine, for example. Such “skilled” technical college graduates are expected to start being productive the very first day they enter the factory (Szczurkwska, 1997).
In order to bridge the gap, it becomes imperative to identify those challenges in teaching metalwork trades and proffer solution to them. The study is therefore aimed at identifying those challenges in the teaching of metalwork trade in the technical colleges in Niger state and Federal
Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Hence, the problem of the study is: what are the challenges of teaching metalwork trade in technical colleges in Niger state and FCT, Abuja, Nigeria?
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The major purpose of this study was to identify those challenges against effective teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges. Specifically, the study will
1. Identify the management challenges in the teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges.
2. Identify the teacher related challenges in the teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges.
3. Identify the facilities/infrastructural challenges in the teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges.
4. Identify the instructional delivery challenges in the teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges.
5. Identify ways of reducing these challenges in the teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The findings of the study will be of immense benefit to the Ministry of Education, curriculum planners, students, technical teachers, parents and society at large. The knowledge of those challenges that militate against effective teaching of metalwork in technical colleges will help the teacher to adequately prepare himself/herself. For the administrator, the result of the study will be of immense importance for organizing conferences, workshops and seminars on those challenges that affect effective teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges and try to proffer solution. Also from the benefits derived from the study, the administrator will be able to see the need for providing the necessary resources that will enhance effective teaching of the subject. It will also expose the administrators to the management challenges faced by technical college principals and device means of overcoming these challenges.
The students will be equipped with necessary competency required to face the challenges in metalwork industry. When the challenges are discovered and solutions provided the performance of the students will be enhanced. For textbook writers, the findings will furnish them with useful information for publishing better relevant metalwork materials for use in Nigeria colleges. Finally, the findings will provide empirical evidence on how to tackle the challenges facing the teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges which could serve as a guide to professional technical teachers, administrators, curriculum planners in their effort to help improve academic achievement of students. The study will help curriculum planners to plan programmes that will encourage, develop and strengthen people’s interest towards technical education.
1.5 Scope of the Study
The study was carried out in all the technical colleges that offered metalwork in Niger State and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The study was limited in content to such variables like management, human resources, infrastructural/facilities, instructional deliveries that are challenging the effective teaching of metalwork in technical colleges.
1.6 Research Questions
The following research questions guided the study:
1. What are the management challenges facing the teaching and learning of metalwork trade in technical colleges?
2. What are the teachers related challenges facing the teaching and learning of metalwork trade in technical colleges?
3. What are the facilities/infrastructural challenges facing the teaching and learning of metalwork trade in technical colleges?
4. What are the instructional deliveries challenges facing the teaching and learning of metalwork trade in technical colleges?
5. What are the ways of reducing the challenges facing the teaching and learning of metalwork trade in technical colleges?
1.7 Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using t-test statistical tool HO1. There is no significant difference between the mean responses of teachers and College administrators on the management challenges in the teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges.
HO2. There is no significant difference between the mean responses of teachers and College administrators on the teachers related challenges in the teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges.`
HO3. There is no significant difference between the mean responses of teachers and College administrators on the facilities/infrastructural challenges in the teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges.
HO4. There is no significant difference between the mean responses of teachers and College administrators on the instructional delivery challenges in the teaching of metalwork trade in technical colleges.
HO5. There is no significant difference between the mean responses of teachers and College administrators on the ways of reducing challenges in the teaching of metalwork in technical colleges.
This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research
CHALLENGES OF TEACHING METALWORK TRADES IN TECHNICALCOLLEGES IN NIGER STATE AND FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA
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