OBSTACLES TO PRACTICAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT AMONG STUDENTS IN KADUNA POLYTECHNIC, NIGERIA

There is no doubt that quite a number of obstacles are stumbling blocks to students’ practical skill acquisition. Such impediments could either be as a result of factors directly related to students, their lecturers or the institutions where the students are undergoing their training. This study identified the hindrances to practical skill development among the students in Kaduna Polytechnic, Nigeria. Four research questions and a null-hypothesis guided the study. 840 Academic staff and 18000 students of the polytechnic form the population, out of which proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to draw a sample of I68 lecturers and 900 students for the study. A 52-item questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents, while mean statistics and z-test were used for data analysis and testing of hypothesis respectively. The study revealed that there is no significant difference in the mean response of lecturers and student on obstacles to practical skill development among the students in Kaduna Polytechnic. The major findings include students’ lack of sound technical background, leading to poor quality projects; large class size which result in lecturers’ inability to organize proper practical session for the students and obsolesce of many machine/equipment in workshops/laboratories. Finally, the study recommended that the institution should provide adequate tools/materials in workshop/laboratories and that such should be properly maintained.