EMERGING PERSPECTIVES AND PRACTICES IN VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION: INTEGRATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN CARPENTRY AND JOINERY TRADE IN TECHNICAL COLLEGES IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined emerging perspectives and practices in Vocational and Technical Education with a focus on the integration of entrepreneurship education in carpentry and joinery trade in technical colleges in Kwara State, Nigeria. The study was guided by three research questions and two hypotheses. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 12 carpentry and joinery teachers and 234 carpentry and joinery trade students in the four technical colleges in Kwara State. A census sampling technique was used to include all the teachers and students in the selected colleges. Data were collected using two structured questionnaires titled Integration of Entrepreneurship Education in Carpentry and Joinery Questionnaire (IEECJQ) and Students’ Entrepreneurship Competence (SEC). The instruments were validated by experts in Vocational and Technical Education and Test and Measurement while reliability was established using Cronbach’s alpha method. A reliability coefficient of 0.80 was obtained for SEC, while a reliability coefficient of 0.83 was obtained for IEECJQ, showing that the instruments were reliable for the study. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while Pearson product-moment correlation and regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that entrepreneurship education is moderately integrated into carpentry and joinery trade in technical colleges in Kwara State. The study further showed that the integration of entrepreneurship education has a significant positive relationship with students’ entrepreneurial competencies. It was also found that institutional factors were significantly associated with effective integration of entrepreneurship education in carpentry and joinery trade. The study concluded that entrepreneurship education integration is associated with higher levels of students’ entrepreneurial competencies and preparedness for self-employment, while institutional support plays a critical role in effective implementation. The study recommended, among others, that entrepreneurship education should be fully integrated into the carpentry and joinery curriculum, while government and school authorities should improve workshop facilities, instructional materials, and teacher capacity to enhance effective implementation.