Influence of Socio-Economic Factors on the Selection of Office Technology by Business Education Students in Colleges of Education in North-eastern Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the influence of socio-economic variables on business education students’ choice of the office technology option in colleges of education in northeastern Nigeria. Two research questions and two corresponding null hypotheses were formulated for the study. The total population consisted of 932 students, from which a sample of 365 was drawn. A descriptive research design was employed, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire directly administered to the respondents. The reliability of the instrument was ensured using Cronbach's alpha, yielding a coefficient of 0.80. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation, while regression analysis was applied to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that both gender and job prospects significantly influenced business education students’ choice of the office technology option in these institutions. The study concluded that the low preference for the office technology option is due to students' inadequate awareness of the relevance and career prospects of the skills acquired through this program. It was recommended, among other things, that Departments of Business Education should organize programs to raise students' awareness of the importance and opportunities associated with the office technology option in tertiary institutions.