EFFECT OF TRAINER COMPETENCE ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN DIPLOMA OF THE SET COURSES: A CASE OF NATIONAL POLYTECHNICS IN WESTERN KENYA

Abstract

Trainers are important in the technical vocational education and training system as they are fulcrums upon which wheels of education rotate in delivering competence needs that convert global labour-oriented economy to a knowledge and innovation-based economy. For the past five years, there has been poor academic performance in Diploma of the Science Engineering and Technology (SET) courses in the National Polytechnics in western Kenya in the final national examinations. The specific objectives of the study included determining the relationship between trainer academic competences on students’ academic performance, determining the relationship between trainer pedagogical competencies on students’ academic performance, determining the relationship between trainer experience competencies on students’ academic performance and determine the relationship between trainers’ industrial linkages on students’ academic performance. The study was guided by two theories; the Capital Theory of School Effectiveness and Improvement which was advanced by David H. Hargreaves in 2001. The theory is built around four distinct concepts: intellectual capital, social capital, leverage, and outcomes. A second theory was the education Production Function which was carried out by the sociologist, James S. Coleman in 1966. The Coleman Report, published in 1966, relates various inputs affecting student’s learning such as families, peers, neighborhoods, and the school. Stratified, purposive and random sampling methods were used in the sampling procedure at the polytechnic levels to get to the correct respondents required. The research instruments for the study included interview schedule for Principals and County Directors of technical education, questionnaires were for the Heads of departments, trainers, and students. Document analysis and observation was used. All the research instruments were pre-tested before the research commencement at the Eldoret National Polytechnic. A test-retest result of 0.78 was obtained and was in range acceptable as recommended by Mutindi, M. J. (2018). Data was analysed by use of descriptive means: tables, percentages bar charts, and pie charts. The study adopted a descriptive research design to establish the effect of the predictor variable on the dependent variable. The target population consisted of the 3 principals, 21 Heads of departments, 3 County directors of technical education, 386 students, and 150 trainers a total population of 563. The sample size was determined by the Role (2013) formula that yielded 3 principals, 18 Heads of departments, 109 trainers, 196 students and 3 County directors of technical education to give a total of 329 respondents. The findings revealed that trainer academic competencies, pedagogy, experience and industrial linkage competences were present and had positive and significant effect on students’ academic performance in the national polytechnics. Recommendations on the analysis of effect of trainer competences on academic performance in SET courses of the National Polytechnics require that the government through the public service commission employ trainers in the National polytechnics who have high level of academic competencies, high level of pedagogical competencies, have long training experience competences and have industrial linkage competences to improve students’ academic performance in the National Polytechnics in western Kenya.