AN INVESTIGATION INTO STUDENTS ATTITUDE TOWARDS VOCATIONAL STUDY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

AN INVESTIGATION INTO STUDENTS ATTITUDE TOWARDS VOCATIONAL STUDY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

It is impossible to overstate the importance of obtaining a good vocational education in modern-day Nigeria. Borishadee (2022) described vocational education as a springboard for raising Nigeria’s standing in the United Nations Security Council. According to Jiboku (2022), Nigeria has had a desperate need for workers, particularly in the fields of engineering, science, and technology, up to the present day. Vocational education is the only path that can lead to the achievement of the nation’s goal of accelerating technological progress. Vocational education has never been part of the Nigerian formal educational system. The Education Ordinances of 1882, 1887, 1908, and 1916, for example, were all silent on Technical Education. Because of the colonial education system in

Nigeria has repeatedly claimed that its goal was to produce people who could only read, write, and keep records and were willing to serve the colonial masters in whatever capacity they saw fit. Jiboku (2022) asserted further in the field of non-formal education that Nigerian traditional grouping dates back to the beginning of vocational education. To acquire the necessary skills, both formal and informal methods were used. Before the introduction of Western education, which caused a rush for white-collar jobs and hampered the development of formal vocational education, the apprenticeship system was common (Jiboku ,2022).

However, events quickly demonstrated that Vocational Education could not be completely ignored; as a result, a number of comprehensive schools were established (both assisted and non-assisted),

Education symposiums, workshops, symposia, and conferences were planned in response to the commission report. In a nutshell, the objectives of vocational education are as follows:

I am responding to the societal demands placed on the labor force;

(ii) increasing the number of opportunities available to each student; and

(iii) acting as a driving force to improve overall educational quality. It was also discovered that Vocational Education had the qualities that allowed a student who was unable to advance in academic education to use his expertise to make a living through the Vocational Education program. This was one of the advantages of the Vocational Education program. In an effort to keep up with the times and meet the needs of the Nigeria’s government has decided to reorganize the educational system that is currently in place across the country. In 1977, the federal government issued a brand new National Policy on Education, which was later amended the following year in 1981. According to the policy, the new secondary education program in Nigeria should be both functional and practical. This new program should be qualitatively and structurally distinct from the existing one in the country. This eventually led to the creation of educational systems based on the 6-3-3-4 format. Concerns about whether or not vocational education in schools will fulfill its promise to promote the country among the council of nations prompted the typical

Nigerian morale is deteriorating. Students’ attitudes toward vocational topics may be influenced by a variety of factors, the most notable of which is a lack of funding, a problem that has persisted since the program’s inception and continues to this day. Money will be needed to purchase the machinery and equipment that will be used in the regular workshop.

According to Olateru-Olagbegi (2022), in some states, a lack of funds led to the construction of workshops without the necessary equipment, whereas in others, the situation was the opposite. As a result of the factors mentioned above, vocational topics are frequently presented with little or no hands-on training.

As a result, pursuing vocational topics may leave students dissatisfied.

Research Power (2021) research found that students in Senior Secondary Schools ranked vocational subjects lower on their lists of preferred subjects than academic subjects. Other factors mentioned include social values, the influence of parents, the bandwagon effect in topic selection, the potential and salary of employees in various fields of vocational study, and so on. According to Borishade (2022), student attitudes may also be related to a lack of skilled personnel to teach vocational topics. This is an issue that must be addressed. Because our institutions do not have enough equipment to make teaching easier, the technical instructors who are educated in them produce “half-baked” graduates. Those who are

trained in other countries with comparable equipment are unable to function because our schools lack comparable equipment. Because there aren’t enough qualified teachers, physics teachers are being drafted to teach most vocational subjects, particularly introductory technology. This pattern must be immediately corrected if we are to have any hope of realizing our vision of a technologically advanced country.

1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT

Despite all of the incentives promised to students by school administrators, parents, and teachers, especially in secondary schools, students’ attitudes toward the subject remain negative. This study looks into students’ attitudes toward vocational subjects in secondary school. According to the findings of the research that was conducted According to Bakare (2022), the number of students who chose technical and vocational focused topics in the senior secondary level was not encouraging in terms of enrollment. Olateru-Olagbegi (2022) also stated that there are numerous factors influencing students’ choices of vocational subjects at the Senior Secondary School level. One of these factors is a lack of interest and a negative attitude among students enrolled in vocational programs. This negative attitude toward vocational course selection has an impact on the generation of vocational and technology specialists, which is critical for the nation’s overall technological growth. As a result, the question that must be addressed is whether or not

Environmental factors such as the level of education of their parents, their parents’ occupational status, and the personality and gender of their teachers all influence students’ attitudes toward vocational subjects.

1.3 STUDY OBJECTIVE

The study’s overarching goal is to investigate students’ attitudes toward vocational education in secondary schools. The research will be guided by the following criteria:

To determine whether a lack of tools and equipment influences students’ attitudes toward vocational studies.

To determine whether parental influence influences students’ attitudes toward vocational studies.

To determine whether employment guarantees influence students’ attitudes toward vocational studies.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

The following research questions will be addressed during the study:

Is it due to a lack of tools?

What factors influence students’ attitudes toward vocational studies?

Is it true that parental influence influences students’ attitudes toward vocational studies?

Does a job guarantee influence students’ attitudes toward vocational studies?

1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE

The answers to the research questions are expected to be of great assistance to practicing teachers and those in training who will be imparting skills to students.

The study’s findings are expected to benefit school administrators by exposing the dangers of creating official bottlenecks in program implementation, particularly in the areas of equipment and materials.

Curriculum designers and scheme developers will also learn firsthand what happened to the blueprints sent to schools and will attempt a general evaluation and revamping.

of the system.

The study will be important to the academic community because it will add to the existing literature.

1.6 STUDY OBJECTIVES

The study will look into whether a lack of tools and equipment influences students’ attitudes toward vocational studies. The study will also investigate whether parental influence influences students’ attitudes toward vocational studies. Finally, the study will look into whether employment guarantees influence students’ attitudes toward vocational studies. As a result, this study will be limited to Enugu State.