STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING QUALITIES OF BUSINESS EDUCATION GRADUATES FOR NATIOANAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This study investigated the strategies for improving qualities of business education graduates for National Development. The population for the study comprised 120 lecturers and postgraduate students in Department of Business Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The population consists of all the 15 lecturers and randomly selected 105 postgraduate students in the Department. Four research questions guided the study. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The instrument used for data collection was structured questionnaire designed by the researchers. The questionnaire was validated by 3 experts, while the internal consistency of the questionnaire items was ascertained through Cronbach Alpha technique which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.86. The questionnaire was administered personally by the researchers.  A total of 120 copies of the questionnaire were administered, retrieved and analyzed for the study. The study found that human relations, innovative, problem-solving and spreadsheet were qualities or skills the business education graduates are expected to possess. It also found that proper selection of students during admission, exposing students to entrepreneurship education and engaging students in work-based learning were strategies for improving the qualities of business education graduates. The researchers recommended that the lecturers should engage students in work-based learning and expose students to entrepreneurship education. The researchers also recommended that Government and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOS) should assist in providing modern infrastructural facilities for effective teaching of students, which will improve the qualities of graduates.