Interpersonal/Human Relations Skills Secretaries Require for Effective Job Performance in Industries
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The major objective of this study is to investigate/examine the interpersonal/human relations skill required by a secretary for effective job performance in industries
The specific objectives are to:
- investigate the job-tasks which are required by the Secretaries for effective job performance in industries in Owerri.
- examine the impact of Information Technology on the performance of Secretaries.
- examine the competencies required secretaries for effective job performance in industries in Owerri.
- investigate the lapses in the current curriculum used in the preparation of Secretaries for the job-tasks for effective job performance in industries in Owerri.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Theoretical Framework
Though there are many theories that can be applicable for this study, the researcher decided to focus on the theory of transfer of learning theory and motivation theory. This is because the secretary’s work is what is been learnt in school that is transferred to the work place. That is, the learning experience that is acquired secretaries is expected to be transferred to his new environment and bring out the desired outcome needed for the growth and development of that area. Bransford (2005) defines transfer of learning as the ability to apply previous learning to a new situation, problem or to future learning. Another definition explains it as “carrying over knowledge, skills, understanding, attitudes and habits of thinking from one learning situation to another (Johri, 2005).
Transfer of learning is the study of the dependency of human conduct, learning or performance on prior experience. This notion was originally introduced as transfer of practice by Edward Thorndike and Robert S. Woodworth. They explored how individuals would transfer learning in one context to another that shared similar characteristics or more formally how “improvement in one mental function could influence another related one. Their theory implied that transfer of learning depends on the proportion to which the learning tasks and the transfer task are similar or where identical elements are concerned in the influence and influence function known as identical element theory.
Transfer of learning can also be defined operational as the process and the effective extent to which past experiences affects learning and performance in a current novel situation (i.e. the transfer target) (Ellis, 1965). Transfer of learning is the application of skills and knowledge learned in one context being applied in another context. (Cormier & Hagman, 1987) For example: an employer often complains that their newly hired employees have totally inadequate education. Part of their complaint is that the employees cannot perform tasks on the job that they “should have” learned to do while in school. Schools respond by saying that the students have been taught to accomplish the tasks. Clearly, this is a transfer of learning problem that is owned jointly by schools, employers and employees.
Different theories of Transfer of Learning by Charles Judd, 2010: Mental Discipline theory, Apperception theory, Identical Element theory, Generalization theory and the Gestalt theory. The research will focus on only four of these theories brief. Mental Discipline Theory: Tells us that education is a matter of training in the mind or discipline the mind. These trainings or disciplines are the vigorous mental exercises in the field of classics, in the field of logic, in the field of grammar, science and mathematics. The theory assumes that those training can make an individual effective in all area where a given faculty is employed. Apperception theory:
Apperception states that transfer of learning is done by becoming consciously aware of a particular idea and assimilates this idea with the other which was already acquired. It is a process of relating new ideas to the older ideas that was already acquired.
Theory of Generalization is another way of relating experience in which what is gained at a certain point will redound to the advantage of the individual in the many spheres of his or her thought as well as in his or her action. The Gestalt theory of transfer states that the transfer of learning can be best achieved when an individual is in the very best of the frame of mind; in the time that he or she is aware of the meanings of a particular situation or experiences and to their practical application to one’s daily life.
Concept of Business Education
This portion will tell us the meaning of Business Education as given by some authors. Business Education is simply education for business and also teaches how to be a wise consumer. In line with this, Nwaokolo (1992) states that Business Education encompasses knowledge, attitudes and skills required by all citizens in order to effectively manage their personal business and economic system that encourages the beneficiaries to acquire skills that will fits them into the world of work. Oyedele (2000) also sees Business Education as a fundamental programme of economic education that has to do with the acquisition, conservation and spending of wealth.
That is Business Education is seen as a programme that teaches how to maximize profits and to be a wise consumer.
Aliyu (2001) views Business Education as education for business or training in business skills which are required for use in business offices, clerical occupation and business policy analysis. Through Business Education programme, students experience the practical application of basic skills for real world and real work situation. With comprehensive business education programme, the students can improve competencies in basic skills where communication, computation and computer skills are applied. The New Standard Encyclopedia defined Business Education as being instruction to prepare students for jobs in the business world.
Aliyu (2001) also opines that business education is a deliberate intent of teachers to inform students about economic and business concepts and skills that might be of use in later life. This means to equip the youths with certain economic and business concepts at a vehicle for better understanding and analysis of the world in which they live. Tijjani (2002) defines Business Education as that aspect of the total educational programme that provides the knowledge, skill, understanding and attitude needed to perform in the business world. From this definition, it can be seen that Business Education provides knowledge, skills, ability that is needed to fit individual into the world of work and to be a wise consumer of goods and services.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
Research Design
In this study, a descriptive survey research design was adopted. This is because this design was identified by many authors and researchers, including Sambo (2008), as good for identifying attitudes, facts and behavioural self report from large sample size. The research design enabled the researcher to describe and explain the secretarial job tasks required for effective job performance in industries in Owerri. Since the researcher was mostly concerned about the job-tasks required of the secretary for effective job performance in industries, this research design was appropriate since it allowed the researcher to describe what was observed. Survey method was adopted based on the large population involving systematic collection of data from the population of the study through the use of questionnaire, interview, observations and others.
Population of the Study
The population of this study comprises of Employers and Secretaries from public and private offices such as computer services, manufacturing companies,
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
Demographic characteristics of Respondents
Three hundred and fifty (350) respondents from the North Central Zone were involved in the study. The demographic variables were selected in line with the topic under study. The analysis of demographic characteristics is presented in Tables 4.1.1 to 4.1.12
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY
The study was carried out to determine the Secretarial Job Tasks required for effective job performance in industries and implications on Secretarial Education Curriculum in Owerri. In order to achieve the main objective of the study, four (4) specific objectives were raised which included, to identify the job-tasks required by the Secretary for effective job performance in industries. In line with these specific objectives, four (4) research questions were formulated to guide the study which included, what are the job-tasks required by the Secretaries for effective job performance in industries? Based on the research questions, four (4) null hypotheses were posited to include, there is no significant difference between the job-tasks performed by the secretaries and the traditional tasks.
Review of related literature was presented under relevant headings: – Concept of Business Education, Concept of Secretarial
Education, Historical Development of Secretarial Education, Problems of Secretarial Education at all levels, Secretary, Its qualities and functions, Resources in Secretarial Education, Funding and Resource Management, Instrumental and Efficiency Reasons for Funding Secretarial Education, Material Resources and Secretarial Education Programme, Secretarial Education Curriculum, Innovations in Secretarial Education, Job-tasks required for effective job performance in industries, Empirical Studies and Summary of the Reviewed Literature.
Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for the study.
A total population of Secretaries stood at 4,040, while that of
Employer stood at 2,960. A total sample of two hundred and two (202) Secretaries and One hundred and forty eight (148) Employers were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using frequencies, percentages and weighted mean scores. The null hypotheses one (1) was tested using t-test, while Chi-square was used for testing Null hypotheses Two (2), Three (3) and Four (4) at 0.05 level of significance. The major findings included that:
The Secretaries and Employers did not differ on the job-tasks required by the Secretary for effective job performance in industries in NorthCentral Nigeria and the job-task are:
Performance of Secretaries is significantly dependent on the impact of Information Technology on their performance for effective job performance in industries in Owerri. The performance of job-tasks for effective job performance in industries in NorthCentral Nigeria was significantly dependent on the competencies acquired secretaries.
The performance of Secretaries in job-tasks for effective job performance in industries depended on the correction of the lapses in the current curriculum.
Conclusion
Based on the findings of the study, it is hereby concluded that Secretary for effective job performance in industries required computer based knowledge job-tasks and also competencies related to computer because almost all of the tasks performed by Secretaries for effective job performance in industries were computerized. These job-tasks and competencies were not reflected in the present curriculum of Secretarial Education. Since this is the case, the secretaries would find it difficult to cope for effective job performance in industries because they have not learnt the required skill. This will slow the pace of the work carried out by secretaries in modern business office since the traditional job-tasks with which they are trained is slow, it will affect the graduate secretaries in terms of employment opportunity. It was also concluded based on the major findings that the impact of Information Technology was significant on the performance of Secretaries. If Information Technology had a significant impact on the performance of Secretaries then something needed to be done to enlighten the Secretaries on Information Technology like coaching them practically. For if their performance is affected technologically it will lead to low grades which will affect the students psychologically and emotionally and this would further affects their generation and leads to poor perception of the course.
It was concluded that the performance of Secretaries depended on the correction of the lapses in the curriculum of Secretarial Education. If this correction was not effected it will lead to poor performance of Secretaries, Poor performance of Secretaries would render them incompetent in the modern business offices and as a result of this, the image of Business Education, which Secretarial Education is an integral part, will be tarnished which will lead to poor enrolment into Business Education, and Secretarial Education will be affected.
Recommendations
Based on the major findings and conclusions of the study, the following recommendations are made:
There is the need for institutions such as Colleges of Education and Universities to train Secretarial Education Students with computer based word processing knowledge in order to make them relevant in the modern business offices.
There is the need for Secretarial Education Teachers to acquired new Technologies in that they can be able to teach Secretarial Students using relevant equipment.
There is the need for Federal and States Ministries of Education to provide facilities for Information and Communication Technology in Institutions of learning so that Secretaries can be trained and equipped to face the challenges of modern business offices. This implementation can be done through the help of National Bodies of Business Education and through Alumni of every institution and also through Agencies and volunteers.
There is the need for curriculum planners at the NCE and Degree levels to correct the lapses in the curriculum by acquiring the new Office Technology Management (OTM) Curriculum and Course Specifications so that the missing gap between the curriculum and the job-tasks for effective job performance in industries would be bridged. This can be done through the help of the Federal Government by providing necessary equipment and funds needed and also through seminars and workshop to be conducted by the curriculum planners. Also they need to liaise with other institutions offering secretarial courses to check the lapses in their own curriculum and make necessary adjustment. The inculcation can be done through National University Commission and through National Commission for Colleges of Education.
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