Difficulties Confronting Students in the Acquisition of Practical Skills in Business Education in Tertiary Institutions in Delta State

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the difficulties confronting students in the acquisition of practical skills in business education in tertiary institutions in Delta State.  The survey research design was adopted in the study. Two research questions were put forward.  The population of the study consisted of 963 business education students from colleges of education Warri, Mosogar, and Asaba (Tech) and Delta State University Abraka. The simple random sampling technique was adopted and the sample size was 200 students.  A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data. The data collected were analyzed using mean (X) and standard deviation (SD) to answer the research questions.  Any item with a mean value of 2.50 and above was regarded as agreed while any item with a mean value below 2.50 was regarded as disagreed.  The findings revealed that the quality and quantity of facilities available for teaching practical skills in business education is inadequate.  The students agreed that most of the typewriters used in their typing pools were obsolete among others. The standard deviation (SD) scores ranged from 0.54 to 1.97 which shows high variability in the students’ responses. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that the business education students were confronted with numerous difficulties in the process of practical skill acquisition in tertiary institutions in Delta State.  Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that computer laboratory should be adequately furnished with instructional materials/facilities appropriate for the practical skill acquisition of the business education students.