THE IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION TRAINING OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN TEACHING-LEARNING OF BUSINESS. 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY.
Business education is widely recognized
as an effective pivot for development of professional or skilled
manpower in all aspect of commercial, industrial and managerial areas.
Osuala (2004) stated that, the advent of business studies stresses the
need of providing the youth with the educational experience which equips
them with saleable skills and competencies. He added that, business
studies is a vocational subject taught in junior secondary school in
Nigeria aimed at providing youths who may proceed to senior secondary
schoolto graduate with the necessary prevocational skills that will
enable them to be useful to them selves and to the community in which
they live. He said that school would equally be exposed to the
educational experience that would give them comparative advantage in the
world of work. The increasing interest about student's perfofl1lance
calls for identification of the place of business education and
appraisal of business subject in educational system. However, (Olujuwon
,2010) note that series of factors affecting student's academic
performance include poor instructional quality, student's negative
attitude to school, overcrowded classrooms and poor facilities.NPE
(2004) stated that, teachers are important in any educational system.
This is because, the qualities of the system itself. Profession
teachers: in particular are crucial in the formulation of education
policies in any country. According to Kochlar (2000), teacher is to
guide the pupils by his percept and possess professional efficiency.
Onifade (2010) stated that part from the failure of government atall
levels to put in place facilities for teaching and learning at all
secondary school level. The methods used by some teachers do not enhance
the power of thinking and understanding the subject such as type
writer, shorthand and accounting. Which are skill-oriented subjects
requiring thinking and most importantly carefulness. Aliyu, (2001) noted
that, traditionally shorthand and typewriting are designed skill
subjects; performance in a skilled subject requires theapplication of
the three (3) domains for learning, namely: the student's cognitive,
effective and the psychomotor respectively.
Nwanunobi (2010) viewed that, the
problem of failure in examination goes beyond the student's cognitive
ability. The decaying infrastructure in most secondary is directly
responsible for the problem. The laboratories are poorly equipped, even
the physical infrastructure like classroom and libraries are nothing to
write home about. So with these factors in place how go you expect the
student to perform brilliantly in examination? It is just not possible.
Kochhar (2000) stated that, the library is the hub of the academic life
of a school. It is considered to be the intellectual laboratory of the
school. It is also the pressure vault of ideas, the store house of
knowledge and the flowing streams of living thoughts. However, Chean
(2007) stressed that, the school library is the sole institution that
provide children services but they are not adequately funded. Reading
habit of children is low because not all children have access to books
school may have some programmed for the children but the fact that the
school library is not adequately funded; their wishes and aspiration
will not go well. Aliyu (2001) stated that, a laboratory is considered
essential which serve as the office practical room and for keeping of
other machine available for learning. Most of the public secondary
school are overcrowded as many as seventy (70) and above pupils, that of
teaching in the classroom such as lecture and discussion methods while
in vocational subject like business studies, these methods cannot be
employed for effective teaching process. Kochhar(2000) also noted that
furniture plays an extremely important part in the physical, moral and
mental welfare of pupils as education is the cultivation of a first and
legitimate familiarity between the mind and the things.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.
Student's failure in business studies
examination is among other disturbing development- to education sector
in recent times. Based on the investigation carried out on 23rd
September, 2011 on percentage performance of students in Doubeli
Government Day Secondary School for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 JSCE
results, revealed the percentage failure as 63.2%, 51.4%, 49% and
54.2%respectively.Hence, there are students failures in public secondary
schools and the failure may be as a result of inadequate qualified
teachers, inadequate teaching and learning facilities, inadequate
infrastructure, and poor method of teaching, non- completion of syllabus
before examination and lack of confidence on the part of teachers and
students.
The factors below contributes to failure of secondary school students in Business education training;
Lack of teachers in business studies affect the teaching and learning of business studies courses.
Lack of equipment a such as typewriters, computers and other pose problems in the teaching and learning of business studies.
Lack of interest in some business studies subjects due to internal and external influence.
Insufficient text books on business
studies subjects in the school library bring about ineffective teaching
and learning of business studies in secondary schools.
Thus, there is the need to address this
problem on what can be done to halt the situation which if care is It is
true that many public secondary schools have not been given much
attention to the business subjects compared with the emphasis on science
and vocational subjects. Thus, with reference to Yola North Local
Government Area, Adamawa state, there is student's failure in business
studies examination in public secondary schools.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY.
The objective of the study is to
research the importance of business education training of secondary
school students in teaching-learning of Business.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS.
What is business education?
What is the importance of business education training for secondary school students?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY.
Business education courses make a
significant and vital contribution to the academic and career
preparation of all students by providing rigorous and relevant courses
of study aligned with the Common Core Standards. Below are the
importance of business education training in secondary school students;
1. An academically prepared student
possesses common core skills including: higher order thinking skills,
analytical skills, essential computational skills, writing and reading
skills, and technology skills.
2. A career ready person capitalizes on
personal strengths, talents, education, and experiences to bring value
to the workplace and the community through his/her performance, skill,
diligence, ethics, and responsible behavior. A career ready person has
explored various career options and is cognizant of the skills and
education required.
3. A student that possesses essential
life skills has sound personal finance and money management skills;
understands the economic conditions that contribute to a sound economy
and what it means to be globally competitive; understands and
appreciates the free enterprise system; can use technology efficiently
and effectively for personal and career use; and can apply skills
learned to various personal and professional situations.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY.
The study focus on the importance of effective teaching-learning of business education training in secondary school students.
1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY.
The study is limited to secondary school students business education training.
REFERENCES.
Abraham, Nasakar and Stephen (2008):
Strategies for improving business studies in JSSCE in Jalingo Local
Government, Taraba state. A research project.Department of vocational
education.FUT Yola.
Aliyu M.M (2001): Business education in Nigeria (Trend and Issues). Kwara-Nigeria: Gashen print media publishers.
Olujuwin T. (2010), Transforming the
Nigerian education system. A paper presented at department of
educational foundation. Adeniran Ogunsunyi College of Education:
Lagos-Nigeria.
Onifade (2010): All stakeholders responsible for student failure, Vanguard newspapers 24th march page 4.
Osuala E.C (2004), Foundation of vocational education. Enugu-Nigeria: Cheston Agency Publishers.