Integral Challenges to the Effective Teaching and Learning of Vocational Courses in Public Universities

Abstract

This study identified the integral challenges to the effective teaching and learning of vocational education courses in public universities. Two research questions guided the study. The researchers adopted descriptive survey research design and the study was carried out in Enugu state, Nigeria. The population for the study consisted 348 which comprised of 141 vocational educators drawn from vocational and technical education centers’ in Enugu state and 207 technical and vocational education students (2018/2019) drawn from public universities in Enugu state. Due to the manageable size of the population, no sampling was made. Questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts. Cronbach Alpha reliability method was used and an overall reliability coefficient of .72 was obtained. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. Findings of the study revealed that there are challenges hindering the effective teaching and learning of vocational educational courses which includes; poor funding, poor school management, and inadequate qualified teachers amongst others. The paper observed that these challenges hinder the effective teaching and learning of vocational courses in public universities which has negative impact on its output. The paper recommended among others that vocational education institutions especially universities be equipped with infrastructures and equipment that will engender the effective teaching and learning of vocational educational courses.