Abstract
An appropriate technique of measuring students practical skill can instil confidence in the measurement and evaluation processes in Technical Colleges. However, measurement of students practical skill in furniture-making at Technical Colleges level is often not done well, due to the inadequacy of materials resulting to grouping students during practical test sessions, which does not give room for a proper assessment of actual skill individual students possesses in furniture-making. This study therefore, focused on the utilization of models as alternatives to tests for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges using Niger State of Nigeria as a frame of reference. The study had four specific purposes, four research questions and four hypotheses formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. A structured questionnaire titled Models as Alternatives for Measuring Skills (MAMS) consisting of 49 items with a sketched model was the instrument used for collecting data for the study, and was administered to 63 woodwork technology teachers and instructors in the Technical Colleges in Niger State. Data collected were analyzed using the mean and t-test statistic. Respondents rated ten out of the forty nine items as the skills that can be measured using models of a chair, side cabinet and a desk, the remaining 39 were rated by the respondents as the procedures involved in developing models of chair, side cabinet and a desk as alternatives to tests for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges. The four hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance showed no significant difference in the responses of woodwork teachers and instructors. Recommendations were made based on the findings, and suggesting for further study were stated.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Technical Colleges are aspects of the institutions that provide Technical Education in Nigeria. Technical Colleges are institutions designed to train people for work to reflect the modern trends in development in occupations and skill requirements (Ayonmike, 2009). Programs offered in Technical Colleges are skill-oriented and performance based (Odu,
2001). Among the various trades offered in Technical Colleges are various forms of wood trades such as Carpentry and joinery, upholstery, wood machine practice and furniture- making (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004).
Furniture is the moveable item in a room or building like chair, table and other cabinets. Furniture according to Albert and David (2000), is the mass noun for the moveable objects like chairs and beds intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds. Furniture is also described as an article made of wood used in buildings for seating and support for various activities of human(Abbas,2012). Furniture are articles constructed with wood used to support humans in seating, sleeping and other activities. The importance of furniture for domestic and industrial uses cannot be over-emphasized. This is due to its uniqueness in the enhancement of the quality of the environment (Houghton, 2005). The importance of furniture for various uses necessitates the need for quality furniture- making(production).
Furniture-making is the art and science of using wood to produce furniture articles (George,2009). Furniture articles include chair, tables, beds. Furniture-making is also described as the process of using woodworking skills to create furniture (John, 1994).
Furthermore, furniture-making is one of the courses offered in Technical Colleges that provide students with necessary skills and knowledge in furniture construction for effective participation in the world of work (FRN, 2004). In essence, Furniture-making deals with the process of producing articles using woodworking skills. As a practical course, furniture- making requires the students to exhibit some level of psychomotor skills through the knowledge and experiences gained in the school. This is why the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, (2003) emphasized the need to ensure that trainees can perform all skills of a technical course before they are certified. This certification as stated by NBTE encompasses satisfactory and acceptable psychomotor skill performance exhibited by the student (Teaman, 2004).
Skill is the ability or talent to do something well, especially as a result of long practical experience. In the words of Hull in Mamman (2009), skill refers to manual dexterity through repetitive performance of operations. According to Uloko (2009), skill is the ability to acquire expert knowledge in the formation of a process, and it is usually expected that the acquisition takes the process of learning. Skill, therefore, means performing a task through correct demonstration of acting and thinking in a specific activity which is usually acquired from the experiences gained in the cause of learning. The role skill plays in psychomotor task performance makes it inevitable to measure the extent of skill a learner possesses.
Measurement implies a quantitative description of behavior possessed by a learner (Gabriel,2009).Measurement in education is the process of determining how much knowledge or skill a student has (Okoro, 2011). In other words, measurement aims at getting quantified description of a student’s level of knowledge or skill possessed. To measure the level of skill a learner has requires the use of instruments. One of the instruments used in the measurement of knowledge and skill expected of students is the test (Code of Fair Testing Practice in Education, 2004).
A test according to Osunde in Gabriel (2009), is a set of questions, tasks, or problems intended to measure or give a measure of the extent of knowledge and other mental traits possessed by a learner. Tests used for measurement in education could take a written form where pen and paper are used, and could also take a practical form which involves the use of equipment and materials (Frost, 2005). Okoro (2011), in describing the use of tests in educational measurement stated that it is possible to construct pen and paper tests in the form of objective test or essay test for the measurement of practical skill development, noting that such tests are unreliable. Okoro further stated that practical tests are the most direct and reliable methods used to assess the achievement of objectives in the psychomotor domain, but are capital intensive in terms of the materials involved. This explains why practical tests are not well conducted in Technical Colleges especially where furniture – making is offered as a course. Effiong (2006), expressed that the inadequacy of materials results into a threat to the smooth conduct of psychomotor tests in Technical Colleges. Effiong also stated further that, practical materials are often difficult to procure by the schools and even the students themselves during practical tests because of the cost involved, and where available the materials may be so limited that students are either grouped or only a few are accommodated for a given practical test session. The irony here is that limited skill is being tested and the teacher/instructor experiences difficulty in assessing each student’s performance when they are grouped. This situation could be improved by using the available materials to develop models which the teacher/instructor can use to test students practical skill in the cause of teaching and learning of furniture-making in Technical Colleges. It is on this basis that the researcher is investigating the utilization of models as alternatives to tests for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges.
Utilization is the process of making use of something or finding a practical or effective use for something. The online dictionary entry (2012), defined utilization as the
process of bringing something to bear and using it for a particular purpose. According to Friday (2000),utilization refers to the use of any teaching resource to bring about a predetermined purposeful behavior change in a learner. Utilization is therefore, the process of using models to measure the extent to which a leaner possesses skills in furniture-making.
A model is a prototype or replica of an object usually made on a smaller scale than the original (Encartar Dictionary, 2009). Oranu and Ogwo (2006) described a model as a substitute or modification of real life object or situation. A model, therefore, could be described as something that is copied or used as the bases for a related idea, process or system. Models of furniture articles (Chair, desk, side cabinet) can be constructed using wood by following the same constructional procedure used in real furniture articles and the models will encompass the characteristics of the real furniture articles. It is important to state here that the quantity of materials needed in a furniture model article is less when compared to that needed in real furniture article construction. This implies that the expenses involved in procuring practical materials (furniture-making materials) is reduced to a great extent, and the construction of a model article provides opportunity for measuring the level of skill possessed by students in furniture-making. The model construction also provides opportunity for class participation (Oranu and Ogwo, 2006). The level of skill possessed by each student can be demonstrated and the teacher can easily assess the students since they are not grouped as against practical test situations where real furniture articles are constructed. This position explains why effective utilization of models as alternatives to tests for measuring skills possessed by Technical College students in furniture-making should be given some attention.
Statement of the Problem
Materials for conducting practical tests used in measuring the level of skill possessed by a learner are very important in Technical Colleges. This will enable teachers and
instructors of woodwork technology in Technical Colleges conduct practical tests to know the level of skills possessed by students of furniture-making. Furniture-making as a course requires the use of materials for conducting practical tests (Ozidi, 2001). It is expected that materials to be used for conducting practical tests in furniture-making should be made adequate to enable the students carry out practical exercise on individual basis. But The interaction of the researcher with the students from the area of the study revealed that majority of the students are not familiar with individual practical tests where each student is given materials to carry out a practical exercise and assessed based on the student’s performance. This is as a result of the inadequacy of materials.
The inadequacy of materials (furniture-making materials) have greatly affected the teaching and learning of furniture-making in Technical Colleges. The few available materials used for practical teaching are not enough to be used by students on individual basis during practical tests. Teachers and instructors responsible for conducting practical activities in Technical Colleges usually group students during practical tests, and this does not provide a proper means for assessing each students practical skill which results into majority of the students not acquiring enough skills as expected of them. Effiong (2006), stated that the grouping of students in practical tests create room for over-dependence of weak students on intelligent ones in reporting their practical work results, and hence lead to faulty assessment of actual skill possessed by individual students. In some situations students buy and present finished products for grades in practical courses and this only provide a means for assessing only the product and not the processes involved. And as such the objectives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) which emphasizes skill acquisition for self-employment and self-reliance are not achieved, since proper assessments of the actual skill individual student possesses in furniture-making is not well ascertained.
This situation could be overcome by designing the available materials into a furniture model which could serve as a guide to students during practical learning and at the same time could be used to test each student’s level of skill by the woodwork teachers and instructors in Technical Colleges. Through model construction, each student’s skill can be easily assessed since they are not grouped, and both process and product assessment can be ascertained. Therefore, there is need to determine the utilization of models as alternatives to tests for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges in the area of the study.
Purpose of the Study
The major purpose of this study is to develop models that could be utilized as alternatives to tests for measuring the extent of skill possessed by Technical College students in furniture-making. Specifically, the study is designed to
1 Develop models of chair, desk and side cabinet to be used as alternatives to tests for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges.
2 Identify the procedures involved in developing a model of a chair utilize as alternative to test for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges.
3 Identify the procedures involved in developing a model of side cabinet utilize as alternative to test for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges.
4 Identify the procedures involved in developing a model of a desk utilize as alternative to test for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges.
Significance of the Study
This study will be beneficial to the woodwork teachers/instructors, students, examination bodies, industries and the society.
The teachers/instructors of woodwork technology in Technical Colleges will benefit from this study by using the models developed to serve as alternative means for measuring the level of skill possessed by students of furniture-making. The teachers/instructors could use the models to teach the students procedures involved in constructing models of furniture articles like desk, chair and side cabinet. The teacher/instructor could also use the models to test each student’s ability in furniture-making.
To the students, the models will provide opportunity for them to individually demonstrate their skills in furniture-making by following the procedures involved in developing models of chair, desk and side cabinet. The models will a lso serve as a motivation to the students, since each student’s skill will be assessed based on individual performance and this will help the student identify his areas of strengths and weaknesses in furniture-making.
The examination bodies like National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) will benefit from this study by using the models of chair, desk and side cabinet to develop similar models in Upholstery construction, Carpentry and Joinery to measure the extent of skill possessed by Technical College students during National Technical Certificate Examination.
To the industries, the study will benefit them by following the procedures involved in developing models of chair, desk and side cabinet to assess the skills of applicants during recruitment exercise. Applicants could be told to construct models of chair desk and side cabinet which could be used to assess their abilities in furniture-making.
To the society, models constructed by Technical College students could be used to determine their abilities in furniture-making and this will make the society have confidence in Technical College students as skilled and competent craftsmen and technicians who will be self employed in furniture-making and at the same time employers of labour.
Research Questions
The following research questions were formulated to guide the study :
What skills can be measured using models of chair, desk and side cabinet developed as alternatives for test for skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges?
What procedures are involved in developing a model of a chair utilize as alternative to test for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges?
What procedures are involved in developing a model of a side cabinet utilize as alternative to test for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges?
What procedures are involved in developing a model of a desk utilize as alternative to test for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges?
Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were formulated to guide the study and were tested at 0.05 level of significance.
Ho1 There is no significant difference in the Mean responses of woodwork
Technology Teachers and Instructors on the skills that can be measured
using models of a chair, side cabinet and a desk developed as alternatives to tests for skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges.
Ho2 There is no significant difference in the Mean responses of woodwork Technology Teachers and Instructors on the procedures involved in developing a model of a chair utilize as alternative to test for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical College.
Ho3 There is no significant difference in the Mean responses of woodwork Technology Teachers and Instructors on the procedures involved in developing a model of a side cabinet utilize as alternative to test for
measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges.
Ho4 There is no significant difference in the Mean responses of woodwork Technology Teachers and Instructors on the procedures involved in developing a model of a desk utilize as alternative to test for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges.
Scope of the Study
The study was delimited to furniture-making aspect of woodwork trade. Upholstery, wood machine practice, carpentry and joinery not included. The study covered all the Technical Colleges in Niger State.
This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research
UTILIZATION OF MODELS AS ALTERNATIVES TO TESTS FOR MEASURING SKILLS IN FURNITURE-MAKING IN TECHNICAL COLLEGES>
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