FACTORS INFLUENCING DEMAND FOR POLYTECHNIC EDUCATION IN OYO STATE NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the factors influencing demand for polytechnic education in Oyo State, Nigeria. The research employed a descriptive survey design, while the research instrument was Factors Influencing Demand for Polytechnic Education Questionnaire (FIDPEQ) which was used to collect data from students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan and The Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki. The instrument was piloted and validity verified with a Chronbach alpha coefficient of 0.72. The target population was 9,903 across the five faculties of the two sampled institutions. From each institution, we randomly selected 60 percent of the faculties and departments. Thereafter, 10 percent of the population was randomly selected and this resulted in the selection of 364 respondents across the two institutions selected for the study. The data was analyzed using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation to examine whether any relationship exist between each of peer group influence, employment opportunity, parent education level, and demand for polytechnic education in Oyo state. The result of the investigation revealed that the null hypothesis was rejected on the relationship between employment opportunity and demand for polytechnic education while it was accepted for peer influence and parent education level and demand for polytechnic education in Oyo state, Nigeria. The study recommended the implementation of removal of discriminations against polytechnic graduates, and educating the parents towards encouraging their wards to seek admission into the polytechnics.

Keywords: Demand, Technical Education, Parent, Peer-influence and Polytechnic.