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ABSTRACT

The study was aimed at ascertaining teacher’s perceptions regarding the structure of JSC examination in Enugu State with reference to Enugu Urban. The target population of the study comprised all the practicing business education teachers within all the selected secondary schools in Enugu Urban. The data generated were precisely analyzed using statistical frequency tables and percentage. Review of related literature was discussed in chapter two, issues of research procedure and methodology were covered in chapter three while chapter four presented and analyzed the data generated for the study, chapter five discussed the findings, drew conclusions and some recommendations made the most weighty finding  of the  study was that business education teachers held opinion that the  structure of JSC examination in Enugu Urban is not to be regarded as  good. One of the major recommendations was that government should make its presence felt by providing motivational incentives in the form of instructional materials such as erecting typing pool, machines, adequate right caliber of teachers that will make it feasible to overhaul the current structure of JSC examination.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In the realm of educational assessment, the perceptions and evaluations of teachers regarding the structure of Junior Secondary School (JSC) Business Studies examinations in Enugu Urban are crucial. Teachers' insights into examination structures are pivotal for understanding their perspectives on the effectiveness and relevance of these assessments in evaluating student learning outcomes.

Education as defined by the National Policy on Education revised (2004) is a dynamic instrument per excellence for effecting National development and a potent means for ensuring the welfare of the people and the equalization of life chances.  In the same vein a renowned Nigerian Educationalist, Fafunwa (2004) defined Education as “an aggregate of all the processes by means of which a person develops abilities, attitudes and other forms of behaviour of positive value in the society in which he lives.

Business Education which is an integral part of general Education grew in Nigeria as a Private Business Schools.  The earliest type of business Education was the apprenticeship training of book keepers.  In later part of the 19th century, private business schools i.e. commercial schools as they are popularly called had a virtual monopoly, in training the skilled employee needed by all types of business organizations and government offices.  Indeed, many of the successful business executives of the early 1900s were graduates of private business schools.  When the government took over schools in 1971, most of the business schools were merged with secondary and grammar schools.  There was an emergent shift in emphasis and orientation towards a more functional approach to secondary education that better fulfils the socio-economic needs of the nation1 (Igboke 2008).

With the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 system of education in Nigeria, greater emphasis has been placed on Business Education known as Business studies in the junior secondary and the vocational business subjects such as shorthand, typewriting, Accounting, Office Practice and Commerce, in Senior Secondary Schools. (Igboke, 2008).

The new National Policy on education (6-3-3-4 system) requires a child to spend six years in primary, three years in Junior secondary school, another three years in Senior Secondary School before proceeding for a 4-year university education. At the end of the three years in junior secondary school, the students are examined on a number of subjects including Business studies for the award of Junior Secondary School Certificate.

According to Everiet (2002), Business studies is an inter-disciplinary integrated subject which draws its contents from other five distinct subjects namely:

i.            Office Practice

ii.           Commerce

iii.          Book Keeping

iv.         Type writing, and

v.           Shorthand.

During Junior Secondary school certificate examination, Business studies questions are set from  all the five subjects listed above.  And to ensure that all the subject areas are done, the normal rubrics given the students in the examination, requires them to attempt all the questions in the five subject areas of the paper without any subject options.  This has been the practice in some states like Imo, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu where business studies is offered in J.S.S. Examination. However, it is observed that students do avoid answering questions in typing and shorthand which affect their cumulative result in Business studies JSS Examination.

Osuala (2004) observed that this has contributed to a significant decrease in the production of secretaries and typists at this level to work in our private and public offices as their services are seriously needed in our growing economy.  For instance, to support the case being made for typewriting and shorthand, investigations conducted by the researcher at the JSC Examination marking centres at Enugu, Nsukka, and Abakaliki education zones in 2006, 2007 and 2008, revealed student’s subject choice pattern in the JSS Business studies examination to be in favour of office practice, commerce and book-keeping.

This choice of three subject areas in the examination, draws together all the problems arising from the examination structure might be that government either avoid obligation or does not see the justification to build workshops, provision of fund, instructional materials and equipment, qualified manpower and incentives to both teachers and students since students do not offer typewriting and shorthand.  While Ministry of Education ironically gives certificate to students in Business studies in typewriting and shorthand for passing office practice, commerce, and Book –Keeping even when, in fact, the questions are not enough to cover the subject areas. If this situation is allowed to continue, the future of Business studies in general and typewriting and shorthand in particular, will continue to be bleak unless urgent remedial action is taken to reverse the trend. It is against this backdrop that this study is strongly being pursued.

Statement of the Problem

The present structure of JSSC Business studies examination in Enugu state secondary school system manifest some inadequacies. It does not allow all the integrated subject components of Business studies to be evaluated adequately as students always avoid some subjects mostly typewriting and shorthand in the JSC Examinations. In the words of Osuala (2004), almost all the schools usually attempt questions from office practice, commerce, and Book-keeping, leaving typewriting and shorthand which are the pre-vocational subjects.  This is opposed to the objectives of the National Policy on Education with respect to Business Studies. Other problems are that most students lack the foundation knowledge of and are not prepared to pursue shorthand and typewriting at the senior secondary school level including university possibly, because the examination structure is too skeletal and does not cover Business studies syllabus.  For example, typewriting theory is taken without the corresponding practical much the same way shorthand theory is taken without dictation. Above all, because these two areas of business studies are neglected which is mainly encouraged by the structure of JSC examination, construction of typing pool for the teaching of typewriting and shorthand, provision of employment, as well as employment and motivation of Business Education teacher in schools by government hitherto continued to be elusive.

Since the structure of JSC Business studies examination affects the evaluation of the subject, and since typewriting and shorthand are very important field of study, there is need for us therefore to inquire through Business Education teachers to find out why the state government adopted the examination policy in which students tends to concentrate on doing office practice, commerce, and Book-keeping neglecting Typewriting and shorthand with regard to the present structure of JSS Business studies examination in Enugu State. The central focus of the study therefore is to probe Business Education teachers’ perceptions regarding the structure of JSC Business studies examination in Enugu urban.

Despite the importance of examination structures in shaping educational outcomes, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding how teachers perceive the current structure of JSC Business Studies examinations in Enugu Urban. This study aims to address this gap by exploring teachers' viewpoints and identifying potential areas for improvement.

Purpose of the Study

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze teachers' perceptions regarding the structure of JSC Business Studies examinations in Enugu Urban. By exploring these perceptions, the study seeks to provide insights that can inform educational policies and practices aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and fairness of these examinations.

Research Questions

i.  What are the prevailing perceptions of teachers regarding the current structure of JSC Business Studies examinations in Enugu Urban?

ii.  How do teachers perceive the relevance of the content covered in the JSC Business Studies examinations?

iii.  What suggestions do teachers have for improving the structure of JSC Business Studies examinations in Enugu Urban?

Research Hypotheses

H₀ (Null Hypothesis): There is no significant difference in teachers' perceptions of the current structure of JSC Business Studies examinations based on their years of teaching experience.

H₁ (Alternative Hypothesis): There is a significant difference in teachers' perceptions of the current structure of JSC Business Studies examinations based on their years of teaching experience.

H₀ (Null Hypothesis): There is no significant relationship between teachers' perceptions of examination fairness and their overall satisfaction with the examination structure.

H₂ (Alternative Hypothesis): There is a significant relationship between teachers' perceptions of examination fairness and their overall satisfaction with the examination structure.

H₀ (Null Hypothesis): There is no significant difference in teachers' perceptions of the relevance of examination content based on their educational qualifications.

H₃ (Alternative Hypothesis): There is a significant difference in teachers' perceptions of the relevance of examination content based on their educational qualifications.

Significance of the Study

This study is significant as it aims to contribute valuable insights into the educational assessment practices in Enugu Urban, specifically focusing on JSC Business Studies examinations. The findings could potentially inform curriculum developers, educational administrators, and policymakers about the strengths and weaknesses of the current examination structure, thus fostering improvements in the educational assessment system.

Limitations of the Study

This study may be limited by factors such as the sample size of participants and the geographical focus on Enugu Urban, which may affect the generalizability of findings beyond this specific context.

Scope of the Study

The study focuses specifically on teachers' perceptions of the structure of JSC Business Studies examinations in Enugu Urban. It does not extend to other subjects or examination levels beyond Junior Secondary School.

Definitions of Terms

JSC: Junior Secondary School.

Business Studies: A subject area that encompasses topics related to business, commerce, and economics at the junior

secondary school level.

Examination Structure: Refers to the format, content coverage, and assessment methods used in JSC Business Studies examinations.

Perceptions: Individual interpretations and opinions held by teachers regarding various aspects of the examination structure.

Educational Policies: Guidelines and regulations set by educational authorities that govern the conduct and format of examinations.

Curriculum Developers: Professionals responsible for designing and implementing educational curricula.

Educational Administrators: Officials responsible for managing and overseeing educational institutions and policies.

Policymakers: Individuals or groups responsible for formulating and implementing educational policies and regulations.

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