Availability and Relevance of Vocational Subjects for Male and Female Students in Public Senior Secondary Schools in Imo State

Abstract

The study examined availability and relevance of vocational subjects for male and female students in public senior secondary schools in Imo state. Two research questions guided the study and four hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted descriptive research design. The population of the study was 296 public senior secondary schools in Imo state. The sample size was 376 teachers drawn from a population of 6,270 using disproportionate stratified random sampling technique, in the 296 public secondary schools who participated in the study. Self-structured questionnaire designed by the researcher titled: Availability and Relevance of Vocational Subjects for Male and Female Students in Public Secondary Schools Questionnaire (ARVSFMFSPSSQ). The reliability of the instrument was gotten using Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient which yielded a reliability index of 0.84 and 0.65. Therefore, the overall reliability index yielded 0.72. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation and z-test for hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study show that the level of students’ interest in vocational education in secondary schools in Imo state was low. While secondary and higher level are not part of it, the available vocational skills in secondary schools in Imo State are practical agriculture, business studies, home economics, local craft, cultural and creative art and the relevance of vocational skill subjects in secondary schools in Imo state. The study concluded that vocational skills taught at the secondary school level in Imo State empower students to be creative. It was recommended among others that the government should come up with plans and innovations to enhance the available vocational skills in secondary schools.