EVALUATION ISSUES IN NIGERIA'S VOCATONAL EDUCATON INSTITUTIONS
By,
Ma’aji Caleb Zonkwa (Technology and Computer Education)
KADUNA STATE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION,
QUALITY ASSURANCE DEPARTMENT:
NIGERIA
AUGUST, 2012
CONTEXT IN EVALUATION
Experience has shown that,
there are, of course, differences among educational systems in Nigerian schools
from state to state (Private and Public schools) the industrial sectors, the
university etc. They differ in size for those having responsibility for fewer
than 20 (twenty) students found in industries, special technical schools and
colleges to those with more than 40 (forty) to 1,000 per class, found in
secondary schools and tertiary institutions.
These elements of the
problems and issues of the their physical facilities range from a one-room
elementary building found in informal schools to
hundreds of acres (square-meters of) general and
special purpose workshops/laboratories sponsored by NGOS and government social
commitment. There are public and private educational systems and secular with
sectarian system within the private sector. Some educational systems offer:-
(a)
generalized
content, others
(b)
very
technical and specific contents.
There are different age
grouped serve, some serve a special clients whose attendance is enforced (found as organizational sponsored), others
learners (student/pupils)
who attend voluntarily. Some have a tax-raising authority (like in Parent
Teachers Association (PTA), and Educational Tax- Fund found in Nigeria), others
have large gift-seeking departments (found in religious groups, NGO's as club
and societies). Their explicit and formalized governance structures ranges from
frankly autocratic through technically Oligarchic and Democratic to Consensual
(Rogers 1965, RUSK 1981, and Peters 1978.)
PURPOSE OF OFFERING EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS
It has
been observed that there are great similarities among educational systems. They
as well, have as a purpose the increase of their learner's skill competence in
the content areas in which programme they offer. While the contents vary widely
from programme to programme, it is observed that, the goal of all educational
system is raising the level of the learner performance of the skills associated
with the content (Okoro 2000 and Okorie 2001).
Experience
has proved that most educational systems are functionally Oligarchic (Edem
1987, Olaitan 1999 and Grace 1994). According to Olaitan (1999) most
educational system have a formally designated chief executive officer (Like
Minister & Commissioners of education), below which are installed larger
rank of less responsible personnel in various levels of authority. Where such
formalised ranking is not present according Edem(1987) , there is an informal
functional hierarchy (as in some religious sectors, NGO'S, Clubs and Societies
), which is necessary for a system to retain purpose and directed movement
beyond that which is required for self-perpetuation . It is this commonality
and continuity of purpose and functional structures among educational systems
that allows the formulation of generalizeable model for evaluation — which is a dangerous trend where perfection
ability is required for effective Learning/Teaching Science, Technology and
Mathematical subjects which are Criterion — Reference evaluated. This type
of evaluation (Criterion) is only commonly found in the military and industries
in this country with few universities where Medical students are trained).
THE NEED OF A DYNAMIC EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
Since independence the
Nigerian society has been continually subjected to changes both in governance
and societal disposition. The concomitant effects
today are that all educational system shares in having a degree of imperfection
in the extent to which they accomplish their goals. With the changes demand in
admission into different educational system, it is neither possible nor
appropriate for educational system to be perfect, for perfection (in Engineering)
is static. The societal context for which educational system operates its
programmes, continuously changes (Smarth, 1984). Changes in the societal
context, the demands on and expectations of educational system change. Thus,
according to Grace (1994) and Okoro (2001) with Nwachukwu (2001), goals,
change, as the goals are reflective of the milieu in which a system operates.
Therefore it will probably
be fair and reasonable to conclude that these societal changes produce co
temporal evaluation procedure problems and issues since independence. These
elements of the problems and issues of the observed contemporary evaluation
methodology is developed out of the tradition that produced the products and
philosophy of the normative testing movement (in which our colleges of
Education, Technical Teachers colleges, Polytechnics and Universities are
having the familiar products of norm reference).
The
familiar products of this movement in the educational systems include the IQ
test, standardized achievement tests and the classroom test built on the normal
curve. The elements of normative testing were in turn developed in a context of
very limited purpose currently exemplified in our tertiary institutions for the
training of Technical teachers, in the measurement and evaluation practices of
the college admission officer, the school psychologist and the guidance
counselor (Ezeji 2001).
PRESENTMENT AND OVERVIEW ON EVALUATION IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Each year, the learners of an educational system are constantly in flux. New students every season come into the system with skills and needs which is usually differing from those of prior students. Observations have shown that, these new students learn differently and uniquely. The system must adjust and move to account for this different set of skills, needs, and learning styles in its new users. The system staff returns bring in new skills and competencies with new attitudes and personal agenda into the system. New theories and discoveries (in this our age) expand the potential service system, (information technology). They must be digested and incorporated. New instructional resources are continually available to a system. These must be tested in its programs and accepted or rejected. As such, it is being suggested that the training of technical, science, and vocational teachers in methodology of measurement and evaluation should reflect the Criterion-References Evaluation if and only if, we want to move ahead and solve our societal problems in the use of latest technology.
PRESENTMENT AND OVERVIEW ON EVALUATION IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Each year, the learners of an educational system are constantly in flux. New students every season come into the system with skills and needs which is usually differing from those of prior students. Observations have shown that, these new students learn differently and uniquely. The system must adjust and move to account for this different set of skills, needs, and learning styles in its new users. The system staff returns bring in new skills and competencies with new attitudes and personal agenda into the system. New theories and discoveries (in this our age) expand the potential service system, (information technology). They must be digested and incorporated. New instructional resources are continually available to a system. These must be tested in its programs and accepted or rejected. As such, it is being suggested that the training of technical, science, and vocational teachers in methodology of measurement and evaluation should reflect the Criterion-References Evaluation if and only if, we want to move ahead and solve our societal problems in the use of latest technology.
CRITERION-REFERENCE EVALUATION
Okoro (1991) and
Harbour-Peters(1999) informed us that, Criterion-Reference Evaluation System
are specific measures of student achievement of curricula goals and objectives.
They also stated that to gather this kind of specific information about
achievement, a new measurement instrument (the
criterion-referenced test) is incorporated into the model. They enormously
agreed that the tests used for measurements must be produced in relationship to
locally selected objectives to insure their relevance to the programs of the
school district: i.e. pragmatic
approaches to curricula and syllabus drafting and implementation.
This emphasis, under most
conditions, the test production should also be a local operation so that
changes can readily be made and the number of tests needed can be provided on a
timely basis putting together richness and flexibility. Providing and guiding the need for a shift from
homogeneous curriculum in the country to heterogeneous curriculum spaces in
solving societal problems. Deduction from (Okoro and Harbour-Peters) their text
clearly shows in the model - criterion reference — a test production capability
is included as an integral component. This means that educator, as actors
should have gone through proper training before teaching/training, testing and
evaluating learner on specific work.
The criterion — reference
tests are techniques that test items are not typically written for high
discrimination capability. Rather, test items and tests are developed to
measure whether or not students can perform objectives (as found in science,
Technology and Mathematics subjects) to a specified level or criterion of
achievement. They contain only test items related directly to previously stated
desired student outcome. Generally the results of criterion — referenced
testing are reported in terms of whether students or group could meet the
achievement, criteria or not. Which vocational Teachers Education should rely
on in training teachers: considering and potting in mind the norm—reference
which is only and mostly use for discrimination purposes.
http://structuringvteinbasicedu.blogspot.com/
http://structuringvteinbasicedu.blogspot.com/
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