Assessment of employability skills development opportunities for senior secondary school chemistry students

 

Orji Nna Sunday

 

Research Article | Published October 2013

Journal of Educational Research and Reviews, Vol. 1(2), pp. 16-26

 

 

Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, P. O. Box 895 Gwagwalada, Abuja. E-mail: nsorji@yahoo.com.  Tel: +234(0)8069259978.

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The study centered on students’ employability skills which include skills and potentials for obtaining and succeeding in a job. It assessed senior secondary school chemistry students’ employability skills as well as science teachers’ sense of efficacy in helping students acquire the skills. Also, the study ascertained science teachers’ perceptions regarding the extent to which science students are exposed to employability enhancing activities. Using survey design, data were collected from 200-student and 40-teacher respondents. The study used three (3) questionnaires, namely: Student Employability Skills Questionnaire (SESQ), Employability Opportunity Questionnaire (EOQ) and Employability Efficacy Questionnaire (EEQ). Findings showed that the science students’ employability skills scores were > 2.0 criteria, thus they were considered competent. While numeracy, independent study skills and team work were highly ranked students’ skills, other skills like problem-solving, ICT skills and time management were ranked low. The study also found that different employability skills development opportunities abound in the schools in varying degrees. Also, a generally high sense of efficacy was found among science teachers, though they expressed sense of weakness in fostering students’ ICT and numerical skills. It was suggested that school authorities should create enabling environment where the development of employability skills will thrive; and that science teachers should provide enrichment activities especially to develop students’ competency in problem-solving and ICT.

 

Keywords: Employability, employability skills, sense of efficacy, school activities.

 

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Citation: Orji NS (2013). Assessment of employability skills development opportunities for senior secondary school chemistry students. J. Edu. Res. Rev. 1(2): 16-26

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