EFFECT OF INADEQUATE EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECRETARIAL STUDENTS

TABLE OF CONTENT       

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY     

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.5     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 

1.6     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

1.7     LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

CHAPTER TWO

2.0     LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER THREE

3.0     RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

          3.1     INTRODUCTINTRODUCTION

          3.2     RESESEARCH DESIGN

          3.3     STUDY POPULATION

          3.4     SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

3.5     DATA FOR THE STUDY: INSTRUMENTATION

          3.6     METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0     DATA PRESENTPRESENTATATION AND ANALYSIS

          4.1     INTRODUCTION

          4.2     DATA ANALYSIS

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0     SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

          5.1     SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

          5.2     CONCLUSION

          5.3     RECOMMENDATION

REFRENCE

APPENDIX

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background of the Study

Secretarial Education is a vocational programme that is offered in Secondary schools, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Universities primarily to educate and train students to become secretarial teachers and administrators with the appropriate skills and competencies to take up a career in teaching, office occupation and business.  According to Amoor and Udoh (2008), secretarial education is an area of instruction that has been in existence for several decades, and it plays very significant role in national economic development.  It is, according to Usman (2008) a vital tool in the hand of government to combat unemployment crisis, and also according to Ilo (2002) is a tool to alleviate poverty.  Secretarial Education is also very useful to private organizations and individuals in terms of employability, job creation and self-reliance.  

          As important and indispensable as this vocational education programme is, its existence in Nigerian secondary schools today is about to die a natural death.  It is keenly observed that many secondary school students nowadays do not opt for secretarial education neither are they guided by their parents or  educational Guidance and  Counselors to make a career in secretarial education.  It is against this background that this paper attempts to examine the factors that are responsible for this devastating low students’ enrolment for this vocational education programme in Nigerian Secondary schools / commercial colleges.

 Secretarial Education provides knowledge, skills, competencies and attitudes needed for would-be secretaries to function well in office occupation and also be self-reliant.  In support of this definition, Chukumezie (2001) said that secretarial education revolves around job skills, employability and self-dependency.  Also, the National Board for Technical Education (1989) defined secretarial education as the type of education that equips students with vocational skills, effective work competencies and socio-psychological work skills essential for inter-personal relations.  In addition to the above, Okolo (2001) said, secretarial education provides students with adequate skills, information and competencies needed to function well in office occupation.

            Secretarial education came to limelight in the last decades of the 19th century when some Nigeria nationals in business partnerships with overseas exporters had to learn simple commercial subjects for the purpose of facilitating business transactions.  Aliyu (2006), said that between 1940 and 1960, the missionaries, particularly the Roman Catholic, established commercial schools for training girls as secretaries.  He said that in 1955, the modern secondary schools were introduced to give pre-vocational business training and some leading commercial schools such as the Abett Institute, Sapele Christian Secondary Commercial College, Warri,  subjects such as typewriting, shorthand, Office practice, Accounts/Bookkeeping, etc were offered.

Educational facilities are those equipment’s used by both lecturers and students to make learning easy and simple. Overtime these are new inventions modernized. In order to adapt to these changes schools must introduce and teach student how to use them.

With time and technological growth, business organizations are increasing the scope of their business and consequently the duties of secretaries are increasing. Facilities are therefore needed to overcome the difficulties and ensure effective and efficient performance of their study. This is a frame of reference on which facilities are concluded.

The use of educational facilities in every school is today the driving forces for change. Man has been using facilities in one way or the other throughout the history of man’s existence on earth.

Educators at all level from the government to private school, colleges and polytechnics as well as universities, have recognized the impact of the facilities on business/offices and have had the foresight not only to recommend but in many instances to require that student’s planning to enter the business world at any level, and in any capacity should be exposed to the study and possible manipulation of these facilities as that would enhance their chances in life.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This department of secretarial studies unlike other department of the school can be said to be a practical department which needs equipment and facilities more than only other department in the school. These aids which make it easier for systematic training, acquiring knowledge and abilities as well as developing character and mental powers are indispensable in secretarial department.

Over this year’s however there had been an increase in student intake into the department.  Also overtime these facilities have become old, obsolete and out-dated. With the advent of modern technology and changes in offices equipment and systems, one then wonders whether the department is able to maintain required standards. How prepared is the department to meet current needs of the modern office? Do they have the necessary facilities electronic typewriters, computers, modern communication gadgets, etc., which they should be using in training? These and many more are what this research topic seek address.

1.3     Objective of the Study                                                             

For every action, these must be reason and in the light of this, the main purpose of our study is to find out the effects of inadequate educational facilities on the academic performance of secretarial students. Specifically the study intends to

a.     Find out the effect of inadequate educational facilities on the academic performance of secretarial students

b.     Determine whether supply of facilities for the effective learning will be necessary criteria for the achievement of students.

c.      Investigate what factors other than facilities that affect the performance of students in secretarial studies

1.4     Research Questions

          The following research questions were generated for the purpose of this study:-

a.     What is the effect of inadequate educational facilities on the academic performance of secretarial students?

b.     Does the supply of facilities for the effective learning be a necessary criteria for the achievement of students?

c.      What factors other than facilities that affect the performance of students in secretarial studies

1.5       Significance of the Study

This project is written to serve the beginning and advanced secretarial students. It will provide them with a basic understanding of what they should know, how they can use facilities in their professional endeavor. This study covers these requirements to equip students to know how to communicate their needs and requirements to the data processing personnel in their organizations.

It is also beneficial to lecturers, hence it will lessen their burden in lecturing the students and at the same time improve their knowledge and ability to mental power. Also to the department and management, hence they will be proud. They can be recommend their student secretaries to any company or offices with no doubt of poor performance. Hence the good name come to them.

To the parents and general public, in that their job will be done by experts who are training with modern equipment/facilities and will not feel strange to any modern machine in the organization. The Nation also will benefit from these for the graduates will be of great use and can redress the economic situation of the country

1.6     Scope of the Study

This research will cover the secretarial education students in Rivers state university of science and Technology. This study will also critically examine the effect of inadequate educational facilities on performance of the students offering secretarial studies in School.

1.7     Limitation of the Study

The issue of finance for the general research work will be a challenge during the course of study. Correspondents also might not be able to complete or willing to submit the questionnaires given to them.

However, it is believed that these constraints will be worked on by making the best use of the available materials and spending more than the necessary time in the research work. Therefore, it is strongly believed that despite these constraint, its effect on this research report will be minimal, thus, making the objective and significance of the study achievable.