MICROSOFT PUBLISHER APPLICATION COMPETENCIES POSSESSED BY STUDENTS OF OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT FOR SELF-RELIANCE IN KOGI STATE

Abstract

This study sought to ascertain the level of Microsoft Publisher application competencies possessed by office technology and management (OTM) students for self-reliance. One purpose of the study and one research question guided the study while one null hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study employed a descriptive research design. The HND students of 2019/2020 academic session in the two government owned polytechnics in Kogi State constituted the population for the study while the HND II(final year) students were purposively sampled for the study. The observational method was used to collect data. The instrument was face and content validated by three Senior Lecturers in the Department of Business and Entrepreneurship Education, Kwara State University, Malete. A reliability coefficient of 0.72 was obtained. The mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the research questions. The hypothesis was tested using t-test at 0.05 level of significance The findings of the study show that students moderately possessed Microsoft Publisher competencies. The result of the research hypothesis shows that the t-Cal value of 1.65 is less than the table value of 1.98. Thus, the null hypothesis was retained. This level of competencies possessed have great implications for OTM programme in Kogi State as it justifies the opinion in many researches that graduates of the Nigerian higher education institutions are not adequately competent enough to take to self-reliant ventures. The study therefore recommended that Management of the Polytechnics in Kogi State should recruit adequate number of competent lecturers for effective teaching and learning of Microsoft Publisher application.

Keywords: Microsoft Publisher, competencies, office technology management, self-reliance