DETERMINATION OF INNOVATIVE PRACTICES APPLIED BY TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATORS FOR IMPROVING SOCIETAL VALUES IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

The need to restore societal values in Anambra State necessitated this study to determine the innovative practices applied by technical and vocational educators for improving societal values in Anambra State of Nigeria. Two research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were tested. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of 204 technical and vocational educators from all the public tertiary institutions in the area. The entire population was used without sampling because the size was not too large. Instrument for data collection was a questionnaire structured on a 5-point rating scale and containing 20 items in two clusters. The instrument was validated by three experts from the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. A pilot study was used to establish the reliability of the instrument and application of Cronbach alpha yielded reliability coefficients of 0.89 and 0.78 for the two clusters with an overall reliability coefficient value of 0.84. Data collected for the study were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions and determine the closeness of the respondents’ views while ANOVA was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that technical and vocational educators applied social responsibility principles and cooperative learning practices for improving societal values in tertiary institutions in Anambra State. It was also found out that respondents differ significantly in the mean ratings on social responsibility principles and cooperative learning practices they apply based on their levels of educational attainment and teaching experiences. Based on the finding, it was concluded that application of innovative practices by all the technical and vocational educators have contributed positively on their students and the society at large relative to core values that makes societies thrive. It was recommended among others that technical and vocational education students should embrace the innovative practices of their teachers and demonstrate them within and outside the schools in order to make positive impacts in the society. Article visualizations: