Abstract
This paper examined the need for enhancing students' interest in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) through the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) concepts in teaching methods. The study was carried out in Enugu State. Four research questions guided the study. The descriptive survey research design was employed in the study. The population was 208, comprising 126 students and 82 federal and state staff of vocational and technical education in the research state. simple random sampling techniques were used to select 116 respondents, which comprises 85 students and 31 staff. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire developed by the researcher through an extensive literature review. The questionnaire had 32 item statements, which was structured using Likert scale of Highly Agree, Agree, Disagree and Highly Disagree. The research instrument was validated by three experts in the Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained through a pilot-test by sampling 7 Vocational and Technical Education lecturers, 21 students of federal and state staff of vocational and technical education in Anambra State which was outside the study area. Cronbach's Alpha was used to measure the internal consistence of the pilot test and 0.72 value were obtained showing the consistence and reliability of the instrument. Data collected were analyzed using mean scores and standard deviations to answer the research questions while t-test statistics was used to test the null hypotheses. The findings of this study revealed among others that vocational education lecturers need to embrace and take very serious the STEM content in TVET Education. Several roles needed by STEM to boost TVET were also identified coupled with the challenges that could be faced in carrying out this and possible solution were also captured in this study. From the findings of the study it was recommended that schools and training institutions should revise their TVET curricula to include more STEM-related contents and hands-on activities that encourage innovation and exploration. Regular training and workshops should be provided to educators to equip them with the knowledge and skills to effectively integrate STEM into their teaching practices.
Keywords: Students' Interest, TVET, STEM, Teaching methods.
Publication Date: 2025-07-15