INFLUENCE OF AVAILABILITY OF INSTRUCTIONAL FACILITIES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Business education as a component of technical and vocational education is said to be a set of instructions that prepare students for jobs in the business world. Business education, like many other courses is aimed at providing an individual with knowledge, skills, aptitudes and methods required in business training. Thus, Business Education is the preparation of individuals for enterprises or employment. The philosophy behind business education is to prepare its graduates for work and for the development of the society. Aliyu (2004) explained that business education programme is a programme that incorporated all business courses. These include Business Administration, Marketing, Accounting, purchase and Supply, Business Studies, Secretarial Studies etc, while at the teacher education level three major components are identified, thus: Accounting Education, Distributive/Marketing Education, Office Tecchnology Management.

Adeshina and Aliyu (2011) stated that Office Education is part of Business Education programme that equips students with all office technology management domain in order to be effective and efficient. Office Education as a programme of study in Business Education programme is expected to be equipped with instructional facilities such as typewriters, computers, photocopier, scanners, projectors, standby electric plant/generator, air-conditioners, radios/tape-recorders, video recorders, television, executive tables and chairs, executive cushiness, stop watch, console head phones among others, with qualified teachers that could use varied teaching methods and techniques for teaching and learning. A pilot survey and interaction with some Business Educators and students (Office Option) in College of Education Gidan Waya Kaduna State, revealed that some of the lecturers are ill-prepared as they are not aware of some facilities and equipment especially the emerging technologies in ICT. They seem to be aware of some of them in theory not in practice. The teaching of skill courses has shifted from traditional emphasis in chalk and talk to practical knowledge and manipulation of machines and equipment for skill acquisition.

The 2012 NCCE Minimum Guideline Standard states in clear terms the facilities and equipment required for teaching and learning office education courses at NCE level to include: Shorthand laboratory, Model Office fully equipped, Functional Typing Pools, Functional ICT laboratory, Comfortable Students Waver chairs and desks, Standby electric plant/generator, Fully equipped Staff Offices and Standard lecture theatres, Functional toiletry facilities among others. Osuala (2004) and Udoh (2010) are of the view that many colleges of education tend to prepare students with inadequate facilities and equipment, thereby, making office education graduates half-baked and incompetent to compete effectively in today‟s world of work which is full of challenges of modern equipment and facilities.

Shorthand a course taught under the Office Education option as the major thrust of this study has suffered tremendously in view of lack of adequate instructional facilities, qualified teachers and use of correct teaching methods. This has consequently led to students‟ mass failure, resulting into their mass defection from Office Option to Accounting Option. The poor academic performance in shorthand subject ma be attributed to the reason that students have preference for accounting option than secretarial option. To a large extend, it has not contributed to the achievement of the objectives for which the programme was designed.

Teaching Technique has to do with the methods and styles the teachers adopted to accomplish a desired purpose of teaching the students effectively. it implies that effective teaching must be characterized by the use of teaching methods that are best for the attainment or development of required shorthand skills. Teaching skill requires varieties of methods such as lecture method, demonstration method. Generally, skill development requires practical demonstration and constant practice. Based on the variables of this study upon which the background is built, the study therefore sets out to evaluate the influence of laboratory facilities, equipment and teaching methods on students‟ academic performance in shorthand in colleges of education in the North Central Zone of Nigeria.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The increasing level of poor performance of students in shorthand in tertiary institutions calls for assessing the instructional and environmental facilities and teaching method that would improve the teaching of shorthand in colleges of education in North Central Zone in Nigeria. The poor performance of students in shorthand skill is evident on apparent poor performance in shorthand. Students‟ apparent poor performance in shorthand could be observed in appendices F and G which showed clearly five years shorhthand results (2010 – 2014). The results showed five years average performance of 34.33% and 27.07%. As shown from the five years‟ statistics in the two institutions, it cannot be clearly stated what factors that influence the students‟ poor performance in the skill. The researcher therefore wants to know which particular factors are responsible for the low students‟ performance in the two colleges.

1.3 Objective of the Study

The general objective of this study is to establish the influence of availability and use of instructional   facilities   and   the  teachers‟       instructional   method   on   students‟  academic performance in shorthand     in Colleges     of    Education   in Akwanga    and Pankshin. The specific objectives of this study are to:

1. find out the extend the available shorthand teachers influence students‟ academic performance in shorthand in colleges of education in Akwanga and Pankshin.
2. find out the extend the teaching methods used by teachers influence students‟ academic performance in shorthand in colleges of education Akwanga and Pankshin.
3. find out the extend that the teachers‟ use of the available instructional facilities influence students‟academic performance in shorthand in colleges of education Akwanga and Pankshin.
4. establish the difference that exists between Colleges of Education Akwanga and Pankshin on the influence of teachers‟ use of available instructional facilities and instructional methods on students‟ academic performance in shorthand.

1.4 Research Questions

Considering the specific objectives of the study, the following research questions were

generated with particular focus on Colleges of Education Akwanga and Pankshin.

1. To what extent does the available shorthand teachers influence students‟ academic performance in shorthand in Colleges of Education Akwanga and Pankshin?
2. To what extent does the teachers‟ use of instructional methods influence students‟ academic performance in shorthand in colleges of education Akwang and Pankshin ?
3. To what extent does the available instructional facilities affect students‟ academic performance in shorthand in colleges of education Akwang and Pankshin ?
4. establish the difference that exists between College of Education Akwanga and College of Education Pankshin on the influence of teachers‟ use of available instructional facilities, and instructional methods on students‟ academic performance in shorthand in colleges of education Akwang and Pankshin ?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following four null hypotheses are formulated to aid this study:

Ho_{1 The available shorthand teachers in the two colleges of education will not significantly influence students‟ academic performance in shorthand in colleges of education Akwanga and Pankshin.}

Ho_{2 The shorthand teachers‟ instructional methods will not significantly influence students‟ academic performance in shorthand in colleges of education Akwanga and Pankshin.}

Ho_{3 The teachers‟ use of available instructional facilities will not significantly influence students‟ academic performance in shorthand in colleges of education Akwanga and Pankshin.}

Ho_{4 There will be no significant difference between College of Education Akwanga and College of Education Pankshin on the Influence of teachers‟ use of available instructional Facilities and Instructional methods on students‟ academic Performance in Shorthand}.

1.6 Significance of the Study

It is hoped that the results of this research will be useful to the following: government, college managements, lecturers, students and future researchers in the following ways;

The government will benefit from this study as it will be an eye opener for it on the type of instructional facilities and office technology management teachers‟ training programmes          for effective teaching and learning of shorthand. Colleges of Education managements will understand the reasons for poor students academic performance in shorthand and thereby make effort to employ adequately qualified shorthand teachers and also provide the required instructional facilities for the teaching of shorthand.

Shorthand teachers would realize their weaknesses in teaching shorthand, and therefore, adopt effective instructional methods and effectively use available shorthand instructional facilities to teach shorthand.

The provision of appropriate shorthand instructional facilities, teaching aids and adequate shorthand teachers in the colleges of education studied will go a long way in stimulating shorthand students to develop interest in shorthand and work hard for improved shorthand academic performance.

This study would be a document of reference to students and scholars in general.

1.7 Basic Assumptions

This study assumed that:

1. The available shorthand teachers in the two colleges of education Akwang and Pankshin were not adequately qualified to teach shorthand at NCE level.
2. Shorthand teachers in the two colleges, Akwanga and Pankshin used ineffective instructional methods to teach students shorthand.

• Teachers‟ use of available instructional facilities in teaching shorthand in the two Colleges of Education has no influence on students‟ academic performance in shorthand.

1. There is no significant difference on the influence of teachers‟ use of available instructional facilities and instructional methods on students‟ performance in shorthand in colleges of education Akwanga and Pankshin

1.8 Delimitation of the Study

This research covered the influence of the state of laboratory facilities, and teaching techniques on students‟ academic performance in shorthand in Colleges of Education Akwanga, Nassarawa State and Pankshin, Plateau State with particular reference to shorthand, a course offered within the Office Education Option in Business Education Department. It concerns itself with all the lecturers teaching shorthand, Heads of Departments and 300 level students‟ five years (2010 – 2014) results Business Education Departments in Akwanga and Pankshin Colleges of Education.

 

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