Lecturers’ Subject Knowledge And Students’ Academic Performance In Office Technology And Management

LECTURERS’ SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE AND STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

ABSTRACT

This study examined lecturers’ subject knowledge and students’ academic performance in Office Technology and Management (OTM) at Polytechnics in Osun State. The study adopted descriptive survey design. One research question and one null hypothesis guided the study. The population for the study was 195 made up of all full-time HND I and HND II students of Office Technology and Management departments in the two purposively selected Polytechnics. Data for the study were collected through the use of two instruments: A structured questionnaire titled Lecturers’ Teaching Competencies and Students’ Academic Performance (LSK&SAP) and approved results of previous academic performance of students in ICT related courses. Split-half method was used to determine the scale reliability of the instrument. The reliability coefficient calculated for the study was 0.84. This coefficient is high and positive and therefore the instrument was adjudged reliable. The mean and standard deviations were used to analyze the research question while independent t-test analysis was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that OTM lecturers at Polytechnics in Osun State are competent in subject knowledge. It was also revealed that subject knowledge has positive significant influence on students’ academic performance. Based on these findings, it was recommended among others that Office Technology and Management curriculum in Polytechnics be made more practical in information and communication technology by providing the needed ICT facilities that would enhance impartation of skills on students.

INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
The global move towards competency based training has introduced a number of concepts and chief among these concepts is that of competence (Mansfield 2010). Competence according to
Commission for Information and Communication Technology (2011) is the knowledge, skills,
ability or characteristics associated with high performance. Ojukwu and Ojukwu (2012) asserted
that lecturer’s teaching competence means the knowledge, skills and behavior that enable a lecturer
to meet established performance criteria. In other words, it is the knowledge, skills, and ability to
carry out an assigned duty well.
Students’ academic performance can be measured using different methodologies. According to
Folorunso (2006), student’s academic achievement is the summation of academic gains of a
student at the end of a semester or at the expiration of his/her studentship. Al-Mutairi (2011)
affirmed that out of the many factors that influence students’ academic performance, lecturers’
teaching competencies remain one of the important factors.
Office Technology and Management (OTM) which was formerly Secretarial Studies had a slow
start and development compared to other forms of education in Nigeria. Okoji (2012) opined that
Office Technology and Management programme is designed to equip students with
secretarial/office management skills for employment in various fields of endeavours. According
to Akasi and Adebayo (2014), Office Technology and Management is a course of study designed
to develop skills, abilities, understanding, attitudes, work habits and appreciation of encompassing
knowledge and information needed by individuals to enter and progress in employment (be it paid
or self-employment) on a useful and productive basis.
To accomplish the objective of skills acquisition and in line with the current realities in office
situation, a number of Information and Communication Technology courses were introduced into
the new Office Technology and Management curriculum. These courses are ICT I, ICT II, Modern
Office Technology, Desktop Publishing, Web Page Design, ICT Office Application I, ICT Office
Application II, Data Base Management System, Advance Desktop Publishing and Advanced
Webpage Design. This is in line with the provision of the National Policy on Education (Federal
Republic of Nigeria, 2013). The policy stated that the goal of Polytechnic education shall be
among others, the acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competencies both mental and
physical as equipment for the individual to live and contribute to the development of his/her
society.
Thus, new opportunities pose enormous challenges to Office Technology and Management
lecturers and the society as a whole. For instance, the acquisition of ICT office application skills
will enable the lecturers to use computers and multi-media projectors to improve their instructional
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Ngozi B Nwabufo and Sunday Ebhodaghe Akasi: Continental J. Education Research 9 (1): 18 – 28, 2016
delivery system. In teaching ICT office application, the lecturer should, among other things, be
able to load application software, Microsoft Word and explain the environment and basic function,
like creating files and folders, entering and editing texts accurately, copying, cutting, pasting,
saving and deleting files, previewing, and printing documents. Desktop Publishing competence is
also needed by OTM lecturers. It is a skill that is used for the creation of documents like
newsletters, brochures, posters and books (Azuka, 2012).
The lofty objectives of introducing these courses can only be achieved if lecturers are competent
in the use of these packages and the teaching of same since they are regarded as the most imperative
school-based factor that determine students’ academic performance. The expected level of
teaching competencies required on the part of Office Technology and Management lecturers in
Polytechnics in line with NBTE (2004) Curriculum Specifications are the determining factors
whether the mission of Office Technology and Management programme would be achieved or not.
The only means of knowing the true state of affairs is to find out the influence of lecturers’ subject
knowledge on students’ academic achievement in Office Technology and Management courses.
Statement of the Problem
The curriculum for Office Technology and Management programme is loaded with a number of
Information and Communication Technology courses designed to provide graduates with effective
competencies to deal with the requirements of ICT-driven world of work. Impressive as the
objectives seem on paper, between 2004 and 2015, suboptimal academic performance by
numerous students of Office Technology and Management have been blamed on lecturers’
incompetence (Ajah, 2011).
It is necessary to ask whether the OTM lecturers have the subject knowledge to guide the students
to achieve their optimal performance. In other words, the study is interested in the competencies
of lecturers teaching OTM courses in Polytechnics, the academic performance of the OTM
students they teach and to find out (if there is) any relationship between the students’ academic
performance and the subject knowledge of their lecturers.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to find out the influence of lecturers’ subject knowledge on
students’ academic performance in Office Technology and Management programme. Specifically,
it will:
1. Examine the effects of lecturers’ subject knowledge on academic performance of
students in OTM in Polytechnics in Osun State.
Research Questions
The following research question guided the study.
1. To what extent does lecturers’ subject knowledge affect students’ academic performance
in OTM courses?
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This work by Wilolud Journals is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
21
Ngozi B Nwabufo and Sunday Ebhodaghe Akasi: Continental J. Education Research 9 (1): 18 – 28, 2016
Research Hypothesis
The following null hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance.
1. Lecturers’ subject knowledge has no significant effect on students’ academic
performance in Office Technology and Management courses.
Scope of the Study
This study is delimited to the influence of lecturers’ subject knowledge on students’ academic
performance in Office Technology and Management courses at Polytechnics in Osun State. The
content is delimited to determining the influence of lecturers’ subject knowledge on students’
academic performance in Information and Communication Technology courses. These courses
are Database Management, Desktop Publishing, ICT Office Application and Webpage Design

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