Competency Improvement Needs of Technology Teachers in the Implementation of Basic Technology

Competency Improvement Needs of Technology Teachers in the Implementation of Basic Technology

CHAPTER ONE

Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of this study was to determine the competency improvement needs of technology teachers in the implementation of basic technology in Kogi State. Specifically the study identified:

Competency improvement needs of teachers of technology in planning instruction for the implementation of basic technology.
Competency improvement needs of teachers of technology in teaching the contents of basic technology curriculum (technology, workshop safety, scales and scale drawing, information and communication technology, energy based technological appliances and gears) to students in junior secondary schools.
Competency improvement needs of teachers of technology in classroom management for the implementation of basic technology.
Competency improvement needs of teachers of technology in using teaching methods and techniques for the implementation of basic technology.
Competency improvement needs of teachers of technology in applying evaluation techniques for the implementation of basic technology.

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The literature related to this study is reviewed under the following sub-headings:

Conceptual Framework

Concept of Competency
Introductory and basic technology in secondary schools
Competency improvement needs in teaching the content of basic technology curriculum to students in junior secondary schools
Competency improvement needs in using teaching methods and techniques
Competency Improvement Needs in Classroom/Laboratory Management
Competency improvement needs in applying evaluation techniques for the implementation of basic technology
Competency Improvement Need of Teachers in Effective Use of Instructional Materials

Theoretical Framework

Need Assessment Models
Repetitive Training Theory
Theory of Job Training
Theory of Experience Instructor

Related Empirical Studies

Summary of Review of Related Literature

Concept of Competency

Competency is a knowledge, skill, or attitude that enables one to effectively perform the activities of a given occupation or function to the standards expected in employment. It involves knowledge, skills and attitudes. International Labour Organization (ILO, 2004) described competence as the knowledge, capabilities, skills and behaviour which someone exhibits in doing his job. Competency as described by Encarta (2007), is ability to do something well, measured against a standard especially ability acquired through experience or training. Ely (1989) explained competence as essential knowledge and skills obtainable in a profession and those which the professionals in the field must possess and be able to demonstrate at optimal level of acquisition and functioning. With reference to this study, competency is an acceptable or standard demonstration of knowledge, skills and attitudes in teaching basic technology to students.

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

This chapter is presented under the following sub-headings: design of the study, area of the study, population for the study, instrument for data collection, validation of the instrument, reliability of the instrument, method of data collection and method of data analysis.

Design of the Study

The study adopted survey research design. Survey research design in the opinion of Ali (2006) is a descriptive study which uses sample of an investigation to document, describe and explain what is in existence or non-existent on the present status of phenomena being investigated. Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2009) also added that survey research is concerned with condition or relationships that exist; practices that prevail, beliefs, points of views, or attitudes that are held, processes that are going on, effects that are being felt, or trends that are developing. This design is therefore suitable for this study because it enabled the researcher to elicit information from the entire population on the issues under investigation.

Area of the Study

The study was carried out in 239 secondary schools and three colleges of education in Kogi State where basic technology is taught as a subject. The people of the state are interested in their children learning technology related subjects in secondary schools to acquire basic skills. But research evidence revealed that most of the teachers of technology lack competencies in teaching new basic technology to students.

CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

In this chapter, the data collected for the study were analyzed to provide answers to the research questions that guided the study and test the null hypotheses formulated. The findings were also presented based on the research questions and hypotheses tested.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATION, AND SUGGESTION FOR

FURTHER RESEARCH

This chapter presented the summary, restatement of the problem, procedures used in the study, major findings of the study, conclusion, educational implications of the findings, recommendations for implementation and suggestions for further research were also presented.

Restatement of the Problem

Basic technology is an integrated subject in the curriculum of junior secondary schools where students are supposed to acquire basic knowledge, skills and attitudes about technologies. In order to improve the achievement of students in basic technology, teachers are expected to be competent in teaching the content areas of the basic technology curriculum. It is observed by the researcher that 50% of the students who sat for junior WAEC failed in basic technology in 2010 and 2011. It was also observed that 50% were below credit level. The failure of students in basic technology could be attributed to incompetence of teachers of introductory technology in teaching the contents areas of the curriculum. The failure of these students may also be blamed on the government for allowing teachers of introductory technology to teach new basic technology to students since the two subjects are slightly different in objectives. Technical teachers lack effectiveness in managing introductory technology laboratory and preventing wastage of materials. Teachers have shallow knowledge and skills in the subject matter. Similarly, technical teachers have deficiencies in planning and implementing of instruction in introductory technology. Fifty percent of the teachers in Nigerian school system were found unqualified to teach. Also, most of the teachers (teachers of introductory technology now basic technology in Kogi State inclusive) recruited into teaching position in Nigeria do not meet the quality required for effective teaching. Therefore there is need to identify competency improvement needs of introductory technology teachers to enhance the implementation of basic technology in Kogi State. Specifically the study sought to identify:

Competency improvement needs of teachers of technology in planning instruction for the implementation of basic technology
Competency improvement needs of teachers of technology in teaching the content of basic technology curriculum to students in junior secondary schools
Competency improvement needs of teachers of technology in classroom management for the implementation of basic technology
Competency improvement needs of teachers of technology in applying teaching methods and techniques for the implementation of basic technology
Competency improvement needs of teachers of technology in evaluating the learning outcomes in basic technology

Summary of the procedure used

The study adopted survey research design. The study was carried out in 239 secondary schools in Kogi State where basic technology is being taught as a subject. The population of this study was 344 teachers of basic technology and supervisors of basic technology. There was no sampling since the whole population was manageable. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled competency needs of teachers questionnaire. The questionnaire has two type of response scale; the needed and performance scale. The instrument was face-validated by three experts in the Department of Vocational Teacher Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The internal consistency of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha coefficient method and 0.84 was obtained. The copies of the questionnaire were administered on the respondents by the researcher through personal contact and with the help of three research assistants. A return visit was made by the researcher and the assistants to collect the completed questionnaire after a week. Weighted Mean and Improvement Needed Index (INI) were employed to analyze data for answering research questions while t-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance.

Major Findings

The following were the major findings of the study:

Teachers of technology need improvement in 15 competencies on instructional planning for the implementation of basic technology
Teachers of technology need improvement in teaching 50 out of fifty four contents of basic technology curriculum to students
Teachers of technology need improvement in classroom and laboratory management for the implementation of basic technology
Teachers of technology need improvement in using varieties of teaching methods and techniques for the implementation of basic technology
Teachers of technology need improvement in applying evaluation techniques for assessing the outcome of the lesson on basic technology
There was no significant difference in the mean responses of teachers and supervisors of technology on the competencies improvement needs in instruction for the implementation of basic technology
There was no significant difference in the mean responses of teachers and supervisors of technology on the competency improvement needs in teaching the contents of basic technology curriculum to students in junior secondary schools
There was no significant difference in the mean responses of teachers and supervisors of technology on the competency improvement needs in classroom/laboratory management for the implementation of basic technology
There was no significant difference in the mean responses of teachers and supervisors of technology on the competency improvement needs in using teaching methods and techniques for the implementation of basic technology
There was no significant difference in the mean responses of teachers and supervisors of technology on the competency improvement needs in using evaluation techniques for the implementation of basic technology.

Implication of the Study

The findings of this study had implications for government, training institutions and teachers of technology. Government through various agencies will build the capacity of teachers of technology for effective implementation of basic technology in junior secondary schools in the state. The capacity can be built through organizing workshop and seminars for teachers. It is expected that training institutions such as colleges of education should review their curricula for the training of individuals for the implementation of basic technology in junior secondary schools. The government will provide the necessary facilities for implementation of the basic technology in junior secondary schools. Teachers of technology will improve themselves for the successful implementation of the new basic technology curriculum.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn:

Recommendations

Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made:

Workshop and seminars should be organized for the teachers of technology in order to build their capacity for the implementation of the basic technology in junior secondary schools in Kogi State.
Teachers of technology should be retrained based on areas of needs identified in the study.
Relevant facilities for effective implementation of the basic technology should be provided by government and other enabling bodies.

Suggestion for Further Study

The following are suggested for further studies:

Competency improvement needs of technology teachers for effective implementation of basic technology in other states.
Material resource inputs required for the effective implementation of basic technology in Kogi State.

REFERENCES

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