Evaluating Self-Efficacy Expected of Polytechnic Engineering Students as a Measure of Employability

Oguche Innocent Ojonugwa, Ramlah Hamzah, AB Rahim Bakar, Abdullah Mat Rashid

Abstract


In the face of increasing unemployment partly due to decreasing employability skills of Nigeria polytechnic students, many graduates of Nigeria polytechnic have a dwindle self-efficacy. 420 HND 2 polytechnic engineering students in north central states of Nigeria were surveyed. Data were collected using questionnaire consisting of 4 Likert-type statements. Student’s self-efficacy was measured by asking students to rate themselves  from 1 (“No confidence”) to 4 (“Complete confidence”).The self-efficacy of engineering students in Nigeria polytechnic were examined using mean and standard deviation. The mean score for Self-appraisal, Occupational Information, Goal selection, Planning and Problem solving are as follow (3.32), (2.97), (3.28), (3.082) and (3.012) respectively with self-appraisal scoring higher than the others. These findings enhance our understanding of the importance of self-efficacy in the development of employability skills of polytechnic engineering students in Nigeria, more importantly self-appraisal had the highest mean score. The practical implication is that the teaching style will have to shift from being teacher-centred leaning to student-centred learning in order to address and accommodate the need of student’s self-efficacy.

Key words: Self-efficacy; Employability; Employability skills; Nigerian polytechnics; Engineering students


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