Abstract

This study was a needs analysis of the 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.