Assessment of Mentoring/Experiential Learning Instructional Delivery Enhancement Strategies for Teaching Entrepreneurship Education in Business Education Programme in Tertiary Institutions in Bayelsa State

Abstract

The research examined methods for enhancing the delivery of instruction in entrepreneurship education in the Business Education curriculum at tertiary institutions in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, by means of mentorship and experiential learning. The study investigated two hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance and addressed two research questions using a descriptive survey research design. The population was made up of 89 lecturers in business education from Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education in Sagbama Bayelsa, Niger Delta University Wilberforce Island Bayelsa, and Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa. All 89 academics were included as responders due to the manageable population size, hence removing the necessity of sampling. Utilizing a 5-point rating scale from Very High Extent (VHE) to Very Low Extent (VLE), with corresponding values of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1, a structured, closed-ended questionnaire consisting of 26 items was utilized to gather data. Three experts validated the instrument, and the Chrobach Alpha reliability technique was used to certify its reliability. The device's reliability coefficient was found to be 0.783. Through in-person encounters with the respondents, data was collected, and all 89 questionnaires were totally completed, yielding a 100% return rate. The study issues were addressed through the use of mean and standard deviation in the data analysis, and the hypotheses were tested using t-test statistics. With a 5-point rating scale, mean values above 3.00 designated as "high extent" and those below 3.00 as "low extent," a cut-off point value of 3.00 was employed to interpret the results for the research topics. With regard to hypotheses, where the t-calculated (t-cal) value was less than the t-table (t-tab) value of 1.96 at a 0.05 level of significance and 87 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis of no significant difference was considered. On the other hand, when the t-calculated (t-cal) value was greater than the t-table (t-tab) value of 1.96 at a 0.05 level of significance and 87 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis was rejected. The results of the study lead to the conclusion that strategies for enhancing the delivery of experiential learning and mentoring interactions are useful for teaching entrepreneurship education in tertiary institutions' business education programs. The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), the National Teachers Institute (NTI), and the National University Commission (NUC) are among the organizations that are encouraged to become more involved in education reform and development. They should also be encouraged to support modern, student-centered instructional strategies in the implementation of entrepreneurship education curriculum in business education programs at the nation's postsecondary institutions.