UTILIZATION OF MODELS AS ALTERNATIVES TO TESTS FOR MEASURING SKILLS IN FURNITURE-MAKING IN TECHNICAL COLLEGES
Abstract
An appropriate technique of measuring students’ practical skill can instil confidence in the measurement and evaluation processes in Technical Colleges. However, measurement of students practical skill in furniture-making at Technical Colleges level is often not done well, due to the inadequacy of materials resulting to grouping students during practical test sessions, which does not give room for a proper assessment of actual skill individual students possesses in furniture-making. This study therefore, focused on the utilization of models as alternatives to tests for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges using Niger State of Nigeria as a frame of reference. The study had four specific purposes, four research questions and four hypotheses formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. A structured questionnaire titled Models as Alternatives for Measuring Skills (MAMS) consisting of 49 items with a sketched model was the instrument used for collecting data for the study, and was administered to 63 woodwork technology teachers and instructors in the Technical Colleges in Niger State. Data collected were analyzed using the mean and t-test statistic. Respondents rated ten out of the forty nine items as the skills that can be measured using models of a chair, side cabinet and a desk, the remaining 39 were rated by the respondents as the procedures involved in developing models of chair, side cabinet and a desk as alternatives to tests for measuring skills in furniture-making in Technical Colleges. The four hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance showed no significant difference in the responses of woodwork teachers and instructors. Recommendations were made based on the findings, and suggesting for further study were stated.