Relevance of post graduate diploma in education program to students in furthering their education: A case study of University of Port-Harcourt

 

Uche Chineze M.^1* and Augustine Sandra E.²

 

Research Article | Published July 2015

Journal of Educational Research and Reviews, Vol. 3(5), pp. 75-85

 

 

¹Center for Higher Education Studies, University of Port-Harcourt, Nigeria.

²Department of Curriculum Studies and Educational Technology, University of Port-Harcourt, Nigeria.

 

*Corresponding author. Email: nezenwam@yahoo.com.   

 

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The study assessed the Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in University of Port-Harcourt between 2005 and 2011 to determine the relevance of the program to students in furthering their education. The study assessed the number of students registered on the program in the study period, their entry qualifications their performances in the program and how many of them went further to do Masters Degree programs after graduating from the PGDE program. The study was based on the action and outcome aspects of the Performance Theory analyzed by Clom (2013). Evaluation and descriptive survey designs were adopted and sample sizes of 700 and 100 students, respectively, who completed their PGDE program between 2005 and 2011, were randomly selected from the population of PGDE students in the College of Graduate Studies, University of Port-Harcourt. Document analysis and questionnaire, titled Questionnaire on Challenges Facing PGDE Students (QCFPS) were the main instruments used to generate data for the study. Five research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Simple proportion, percentage and mean were used to answer the research questions while ANOVA and Chi Square were adopted for testing the hypotheses at significant level of 0.05. The results showed that performance of the PGDE students both at entry level and in the study period were relatively high as majority had second class lower division and second class upper division respectively. The level of enrollment in Masters Degree was low and in a declining trend; level of registration with Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), though was low, but in increasing trend. The main challenges facing PGDE program were fund and administrative factors. Recommendations based on these findings include: need for improved administrative processes, improved teaching and learning environment, increased students’ interest in Masters Degree program and adequate awareness on the need for PGDE graduates’ registration with the TRCN.