CURRICULUM CHALLENGES AND THE PREPARATION OF BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS FOR GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS AND TRADE LIBERALIZATION

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between curriculum challenges and the preparation of business education students for global competiveness and trade liberalization in Nigeria. Two research questions were formulated and answered. The hypotheses were tested at 0.5 alpha level of significance. Related literatures were reviewed. The population of the study comprised 500 business educators from institutions of higher learning in Nigeria. Stratified random sampling was adopted to select 250 business educators for the study. A set of structured questionnaire was validated by expert to ensure face and content validation. Cronbach alpha method was used in determining the reliability of the instrument which yielded a coefficient index of 0.79. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship. The findings of the study revealed a positive relationship between curriculum development and the preparation of business education student for global competitiveness. The recommendations made were based on the findings such as: ¹Business education curriculum developer must be core business educators and the curriculum should be flexible to the technological trend ²globalization issues and business education curriculum should be reviewed in areas of innovation and technology to accommodate other job opportunities for trade liberalization.

Key words: curriculum, preparation, business education, competitiveness, and trade liberalization