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Amount: ₦5,000.00 |

Format: Ms Word |

1-5 chapters |



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.


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UTILIZATION  OF MODELS AS ALTERNATIVES TO TESTS FOR MEASURING SKILLS IN FURNITURE-MAKING IN TECHNICAL COLLEGES

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