Entrepreneurship Project Topics

Availability of Equipment and Structure in Secondary School as a Constraint for the Implementation of Entrepreneurship Education in Chemistry

Availability of Equipment and Structure in Secondary School as a Constraint for the Implementation of Entrepreneurship Education in Chemistry

Availability of Equipment and Structure in Secondary School as a Constraint for the Implementation of Entrepreneurship Education in Chemistry

Chapter One

Objective of the study

The objectives of the study are;

  1. To identify chemistry equipment and structures that are available in secondary schools
  2. To estimate the level of utilization of equipment and structures in secondary school.
  3. To identify the constraints that affect the availability and utilization of chemistry equipment and structures in secondary schools.
  4. To find out the personal constraints to the implementation of entrepreneurship education in secondary school
  5. To determine the availability of qualified entrepreneurship teachers in secondary school.

 

CHAPTER  TWO

 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Availability of Qualified Entrepreneurship Education Teachers

Atakpa (2016) stated that entrepreneurship education is not properly taught in our Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. This in the opinion of Nwekeaku (2013) is as a result of lack of lecturers with practical entrepreneurial training and consciousness. Nigerian Universities do not have adequate and high level manpower for effective teaching and learning of entrepreneurship education in the country. The available teachers were drafted from the existing faculties and have not got additional skills to cope with the challenges of the new curriculum. Since one cannot give what one does not have, the expected products of the new entrepreneurship education may not perform any miracles if they are lectured by the same old lecturers. In the same vein Agbonlahor (2016) affirms the capacity of lecturers and instructors that teach entrepreneurship education in most tertiary institutions have been fingered as a reason for the poor quality delivery. He continued by stating that there is a dearth of lecturers and instructors with practical training in entrepreneurship education. Most instructors have not been entrepreneurs. Instructors with training in business studies and related disciplines were used for the delivery (Enu, 2012). This was due to the large misconception that equated entrepreneurship education to business studies; despite the difference in scope and focus of the two courses. In USA, institutions employ full-time staff who are exclusively committed to entrepreneurship education program, teaching entrepreneurship (Zhuo & Haixia, 2012). In contrast, in Nigeria, the majority of entrepreneurship instructors are from traditional disciplines such as economics or business administration. Apart from the deficient qualifications of instructors, the lack of entrepreneurial consciousness is also indicted as a challenge to the quality delivery for impact of entrepreneurship education in Nigerian Universities (Amoor, 2008).

Availability of Teaching Equipment and Materials

Deplorable or complete absence of infrastructural facilities has contributed to the poor development of entrepreneurship education in tertiary institutions in Nigeria (Atakpa, 2016). Unachukwu (2009) stressed that both hard and soft infrastructure is needed as prop for the system. This limitation subsequently frustrates the integration of entrepreneurship in academic programs in Nigerian universities. As it concerns inadequate facilities in relation to challenges of entrepreneurship education, Ugwoke, Basake, Chinwe, and Chukwuma, (n.d) and Nwekeaku (2013) grouped it into the following subheading Absence of Relevant Textbooks: Since entrepreneurship education is a new inclusion into Home economics curriculum, there is also the problem of lack of textbooks in the area. This has really challenged the teaching of the course in Colleges of Education. Idibie (2004) also noted that teaching and learning without textbooks would mean a lot of memorization as well as make the words of the teacher final authority. This does not pave way for competency in entrepreneurship. Poor State of Infrastructure: The poor state of infrastructure in Nigerian universities is worrisome as the new entrepreneurship education will only worsen the situation. Obeleagu-Nzelibe and Moruku (2010) have noted that the state of infrastructure in Nigerian university system is, to say the least, embarrassing. Infrastructures, such as, electricity, roads, water, conductive classroom, functional entrepreneurship centers and telecommunications network are in very bad shape. Brown (2012); Offorma, Egbe and Eze (2012); Akpomi (2009); Nwosu and Ohia (2009) suggested that inadequate facilities and equipment for teaching and learning in practical-related courses was the reason why entrepreneurship education has not been able to record a significant impact in Nigeria industrialization drive and reduction of youth unemployment. Infrastructural facilities in tertiary institutions encompass all physical facilities needed to make schools function as intended and attain set goals. The tertiary institution is a higher educational stage for higher learning. It is to this end, that Okujagu & Adox – Okujagu (2011) suggest that an urgent need to provide these facilities in terms of adequacy, appropriateness and gender sensitivity because their use maximises the benefits from educational programmes.

The importance of infrastructural facilities in any educational system is echoed by Okugbe‟s (2009) suggestion that adequate provision of instructional materials to enhance teaching/learning effectiveness will increase inputs to the success of the tertiary institution programme. Facilities such as textbooks, libraries, classroom, seats and tables, laboratories, computes, technical vocational equipment, electricity and so on are imperative to qualitative IJBE programme in Nigeria. Hence, efforts should be made to ensure they are adequately supplied and used for the good of the educational system. The provision of furniture and equipment is very important in the Universal Basic Education programme, Nakpodia (2011) observes that there is acute shortage of furniture, teachers‟ tables and chairs, books, teaching aids and instructional materials. He noted that the previous educational programme could not succeed as government alone borne the burden of financing the programme. This eventually resulted to delay in teacher‟s salaries, no adequate supply of instructional materials, no development of teachers regarding retraining on the job as well as no proper attention on curriculum development and there was also no conducive teaching and learning environments in the school system. Conclusively, it could be said that the effective implementation of the tertiary education scheme is tantamount to the availability and adequacies of infrastructure. Since research has shown the status of facilities in Nigerian education system reveals serious defects in facilities and in line with this, Jaiyoba, & Atanda (2008) observe that the inadequate provision of material resources to cope with the increasing demand for educational provision has caused inadequate teaching and learning in schools. In addition, Nakpodia (2011) revealed that classrooms, libraries and workshops were over-used and that school buildings in public primary schools were dilapidated and in a disturbing state. This further presupposes that effective implementation of entrepreneurship education in tertiary institutions scheme is tied to the provision of adequate infrastructural facilities. These facilities should be maintained, and dilapidated classrooms rehabilitated.

Entrepreneurship has become much more important in the contemporary world where financial crises have been occurring. Entrepreneurship and innovation are regarded as an important tool to resolve the global challenges of the 21st century, to structure the sustainable development, to create new employment areas, to bring about renewed economic growth, and to enhance welfare (WEF, 2009: 7). The most commonly debated question in the research on entrepreneurship is probably why some individuals are entrepreneurs while the others are not. Numerous studies on business creation suggest that individual differences are the basic reason underlying the question why some individuals actively go for establishing their own businesses while the others do not. Behaviorists consider entrepreneurs independently from individual characteristics as individuals with entrepreneurial behavior. According to the behavioral approach, behavior can be learnt through formal and informal processes (Paço et. al., 2015: 58). Drucker considers entrepreneurship as a discipline (Drucker, 1993: vii). From this perspective, entrepreneurship appears as a learnable fact. Therefore, entrepreneurship plays a critical role in improving prospective entrepreneurs and steering them towards development and entrepreneurship by providing them with a combination of knowledge, skills and capability to establish and maintain new enterprises (Dutta, Li and Merenda, 2011: 165). Education is vital to create an understanding of entrepreneurship, to develop entrepreneurial capabilities, and to contribute to entrepreneurial identities and cultures at individual, collective and social levels (Rae, 2010: 603). Therefore, an individual, who receives a basic entrepreneurship education providing competence in administrative terms, is more likely to engage in an entrepreneurship activity in the future (Dutta, Li and Merenda, 2011: 174). Entrepreneurship education has not achieved sufficient maturity either in theory or in practice. Early courses on entrepreneurship have started in the United States in 1940s. Since those times, entrepreneurship education has increased considerably in the developed world (Paço et. al., 2015: 59). The number of universities and colleges with entrepreneurship courses in their curricula has clearly increased in the United States since the late 1960s. The entrepreneurship-related courses of many schools such as “Entrepreneurship & Venture Creation,” “Small Business Management,” “Enterprise Development” occupy a significant place in their curricula. Increasingly large number of colleges and graduate schools have accepted entrepreneurship as a fundamental area (Lee, Chang and Lim, 2005: 30). This trend became especially common in the universities in the United States, Canada and France in 1990s (Paço et. al., 2015: 59). The financial and economic crisis that emerged in 2008 and the subsequent global recession have led to the emergence of a new economic era with important effects on entrepreneurship education, too (Rae, 2010: 591). A study was carried out on the graduates who completed the University of Arizona’s Berger Entrepreneurship Program between 1985 and 1999. This study determined that entrepreneurship had an effect on generating enterprises and creating welfare. Furthermore, it was concluded that entrepreneurship education had positive impacts on individuals’ risk taking, enterprise education, inclination to be self-employed, and income/welfare generation. Those who received entrepreneurship education earned 10% higher monthly income in comparison with those who did not. In addition, and more interestingly, it was found that the graduates who had received this education gained 62% more personal assets than those who had not received (Charney and Libecap, 2000: 1-7). The entrepreneurship education and culture existing in the United States have formed the basis of the strong infrastructure needed for the creation of worldwide organizations such as Microsoft, Oracle, Dell, and Wal-Mart. In addition to increasing the national welfare, such successful enterprises have created innovative products and services and strengthened the competitive advantage of the United States (Lee, Chang and Lim, 2005: 30).

 

 

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research design

The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to examine availability of equipment and structure in secondary school as a constraint for the implementation of entrepreneurship education in chemistry.

Sources of data collection

Data were collected from two main sources namely:

  1. Primary source and
  2. Secondary source

Primary source:

These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.

Secondary source:

These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.

Population of the study

Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in gathering information relevant to the availability of equipment and structure in secondary school as a constraint for the implementation of entrepreneurship education in chemistry.  Two hundred (200) teachers of selected secondary schools in Anambra East Local government in Anambra state, was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.

CHAPTER FOUR

ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF DATA

One hundred and sixty (160) questionnaires were distributed and one hundred and forty (133) were returned. This figure was the sample size. Out of the one hundred and thirty-three, only one hundred and twenty (120) were properly responded to. As a result, the researcher used one hundred and twenty for this study when more than 50% of the respondents agree to the questions, the answer is taken as valid for the purpose of this study. In analyzing the data, the approach that will be adopted is to find out the percentage and positive and negative answers to the question posed.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Introduction                   

It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain availability of equipment and structure in secondary school as a constraint for the implementation of entrepreneurship education in chemistry

In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of availability of equipment and structure in secondary school as a constraint for the implementation of entrepreneurship education in chemistry

Summary

This study was on availability of equipment and structure in secondary school as a constraint for the implementation of entrepreneurship education in chemistry. Five objectives were raised which included:  To identify chemistry equipment and structures that are available in secondary schools, to estimate the level of utilization of equipment and structures in secondary school, to identify the constraints that affect the availability and utilization of chemistry equipment and structures in secondary schools, to find out the personal constraints to the implementation of entrepreneurship education in secondary school and to  determine the availability of qualified entrepreneurship teachers in secondary school.. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 teachers of selected secondary schools in Anambra East local government of Anambra state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made up principals, administrative staff, chemistry teachers and teachers was used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies

Conclusion

The study also revealed ranges of utilization of available items by the teachers. From the foregoing, it can be concluded that the implementation of animal husbandry as an entrepreneurship subject would be difficult, if most of the unavailable items are not made available. This would also mean that the dream of inculcation of required entrepreneurship competencies and skills for self employment and economic development would be difficult to achieve.

Recommendation

The following recommendations were based on the findings of the work:

1 Government should give entrepreneurship competencies development a priority or attention through adequate funding for procurement of equipment and construction of structures

2 Schools administrators should also ensure maintenance of equipment and structures that have been provided

3 School administrators should encourage teachers and students and also stimulate participation in agribusiness after graduation

References

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