From Being Amotivated to Motivated: Evidence of the Efficacy of Problem-Based Learning in Practical Skills Training

The investigation of the degree of amotivation and subsequent intervention towards the motivation of undergraduate vocational and technical education (VTE) students has not received the same amount of attention as other disciplines. Despite the negative impact of a lack of volitional drive on students' practical skills learning, there is scarcity of literature on amotivation among VTE undergraduate students. This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) in transitioning undergraduate students from a state of being amotivated to motivated. The study utilized a quasi-experimental research design and selected 168 students in their penultimate and final years majoring in agricultural education, business education, computer education, home economics, and industrial technical education who met the study's inclusion criteria. The intervention consisted of eight weeks of treatment and four weeks of follow-up meetings. An existing academic motivation scale was adapted for use, and data was collected through a self-report questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using independent sample t-tests, and paired sample t-tests. The findings revealed that the level of amotivation among the students was high, and PBL had a significant impact on transitioning VTE students from being amotivated to motivated in the treatment group compared to those in the control group. Furthermore, the positive gains were maintained by the treatment group at follow-up. The study suggests that a PBL program can effectively address students' lack of volitional drive to engage in academic activities among undergraduate students majoring in agricultural education, business education, computer education, home economics, and industrial technical in Nigeria

Apprenticeship System and Labour Supply of Electrical Installation Artisans in Enugu State, Nigeria

The main purpose of the study was to assess the apprenticeship system and labour supply of electrical installation artisans in Enugu State.  This survey study was carried out in Enugu State of Nigeria which involved 234 apprentices of electrical installation. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument was face-validation by three experts and pilot tested on 15 apprentices in Anambra to determine its reliability. Cronbach Alpha reliability method was used to establish the internal consistency of the instrument and it yielded the overall reliability coefficients of 0.87. After the data collection, mean, standard deviation and t-test were used to answer the research questions and null hypotheses that guided the study. The study found that 14 modalities were needed for the admittance of apprentices, 10 attraction packages were found for facilitating enrolment into apprenticeship system, 11 motivation indices were found for apprentices in electrical installation, there was no significant difference between the mean responses of early apprentices and late apprentices on the attraction of apprentices’ enrolment into apprenticeship system, and on motivation indices and instructional modalities. It was, therefore, recommended that the Government should grant loans to trained artisans to acquire essential equipment for the training and enterprising thereby boosting their output capacities

Investigation of online counseling with solution focused brief counseling-based implementation for students with severe academic stress conditions

Students are susceptible to feeling pressure as a manifestation of the changes experienced during their educational process. These changes present themselves in a variety of different ways. This state is reasonably frequent among students, mainly when supporting causes of pressure are present. Some examples of these circumstances include living away from parents, shifting patterns of academic interactions from high school, differing academic expectations, and socio-cultural shifts. Moving beyond the theoretical foundation, empirical investigations, and phenomena in the area, there is a need for in-depth research and studies about attempts to identify models that alleviate the academic stress experienced by students. The Solution Focused Brief Counseling (SFBC) technique combined with the internet, and online media is one of these approaches. The goal of this research was to determine whether or not the SFBC method combined with the model of distant counseling might successfully alleviate the academic stress experienced by first-year students. The number of participants in this research was cut down to five college students to meet the research requirements. The design and analysis of the research adhere to the premise of using a single-subject experimental design combined with visual analysis. The findings demonstrated an overall reduction in the amount of academic stress experienced by students after two sessions, as well as an improvement in their condition by the time the session was throug