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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol.7, No.9
Publication Date: September 25, 2020
DOI:10.14738/assrj.79.9148.
Ehirheme, P. E., & Eze, T. I. (2020). Effect of Peer Tutoring On Students’ Knowledge Retention In Office Technology And Management In
Polytechnics In South West, Nigeria. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(9) 892-900.
Effect of Peer Tutoring On Students’ Knowledge Retention In Office
Technology And Management In Polytechnics In South West, Nigeria
Pauline Egberanmwen Ehirheme
Department of Office Technology and Management,
Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos State, Nigeria
Titus I. Eze
Department of Technology and Vocational Education,
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
Academic knowledge and transfer of knowledge retention after
graduation to the workplace by office technology and management
(OTM) students in Polytechnics has been worrisome to stakeholders in
education. This study seeks to determine if peer tutoring instructional
technique could solve these aforementioned problems. The study
adopted a quasi-experimental design of a pre-test, post-test and delayed
posttest (knowledge retention) for non-randomized un-equal two
groups. The population for the study is 503 National Diploma (ND) II
OTM students in four Polytechnics in South West, Nigeria. Through
purposive sampling, we selected a sample of 227 (120 experimental and
107 control) students from two polytechnics in two states. These
instruments; lesson plan for the experimental group, lesson plan for the
control group and Office Technology and Management Achievement
Test (OTMAT), were used for data collection. Three OTM experts
validated the instruments. The reliability coefficient of the OTMAT was
established as 0.86 through the use of Kuder-Richardson formula 21
techniques. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the
research question while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to
test the hypothesis. Results revealed knowledge gain for the
experimental group. Thus, peer-tutoring enhances academic knowledge
retention among OTM polytechnic students. It is therefore
recommended that peer-tutoring instructional technique be used to
teach OTM students in Polytechnics. Stakeholders should create
platforms (workshops and conferences) for OTM lecturers and students
in Polytechnics to utilize the peer-tutoring technique in the
teaching/learning process.
Keywords: Academic knowledge retention, Peer tutoring instructional
approach, Office Technology and Management, Students-centered approach.
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URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.79.9148 893
Ehirheme, P. E., & Eze, T. I. (2020). Effect of Peer Tutoring On Students’ Knowledge Retention In Office Technology And Management In Polytechnics In
South West, Nigeria. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(9) 892-900.
INTRODUCTION
Office Technology and Management Programme
The rapid proliferation and incursion of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and its
management; essentially computer technology, into education has greatly impacted upon the
nature of secretarial studies. This has led to the re-structuring and change in the nomenclature of
the programme by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in 2004. Thus the secretarial
studies programme is now called Office Technology and Management (OTM). The OTM in meeting
the demands of the technology-driven work environment precipitated a new challenge in driving
the new curriculum.
The criterion of OTM programme is acquisition of knowledge, skills and work attitude combined to
enhance smooth office functioning in the dynamics of 21st century technology. This is intended to
improve the self-actualization of the worker and hence promote national economic development.
As the OTM graduates (recently called Office Mangers) are ubiquitous office workers, they are
required in technology-driven modern offices to support executives in achieving organizational
goals. Besides their relevant professional support of producing correspondences, sending emails
and managing itineraries among others, they perform special office managerial duties resulting in
providing essential reports for the office.
OTM graduates have vast employment opportunities as global workers both as employees and
entrepreneurs (Ehirheme, 2014). As an aspect of vocational education and with the vast window of
opportunities opened by ICT to OTM, its graduates should not be unemployed. However, OTM
graduates’ performance is a mismatch of the programme’s aims and objectives of employability and
self-reliance for national economic development. Employers often complain of graduates’ lack of
skill and competency resulting in excessive burden in terms of cost and time in retraining when
employed. Strengthening this assertion, Odo and Nwachukwu (2020) stated that “there are so many
science who still roam the streets in search of jobs”, same as an OTM graduates, essentially due to
inappropriate skill and competency.
Peer-Tutoring Approach:
Instructional approach used by educators in tertiary institutional programmes does not essentially
provide practical skills for different programmes, (Okoye, 2013). This implies that graduating
students are not sufficiently equipped with adequate skills due to dearth absence of hands-on
experience in their different fields. Hence, it depicts an imminent hopeless unsustainable realization
of the National Policy on Education (2013) target for the vocational and technical education
programmes generally, and OTM in particular. Ibrahim, and Wunba, (2018) re-emphasized that “the
core objective of vocational education and training is to focus on knowledge construction”. They
stated that “curriculum instruction ought to emphasize knowledge and skill development.” This is
very vital in vocational and technical education, especially OTM programme.
The active process of learning where the learner builds novel ideas resulting in knowledge
enhancement with innovative skills advancement demonstrates consonance of learning theory of
constructivism which should be evident in OTM graduates. This could be achieved through the peer- tutoring learning approach. Buttressing this assertion, Jibrin, Ibrahim and Zayum (2016) expressed
the incorporation “of peer tutoring teaching method in a class allow students to participate in
teaching and in the learning process”. Also, Sam's (2016) study illustrates that “peer tutoring
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol.7, Issue 9, September-2020
strengthened and deepened understanding of the content of both the tutor and tutee which resulted
in both academic and affective improvements”. This demonstrates both cognitive and affective
knowledge development for all. With results obtained from the study, it was found out that peer- tutoring is an efficacious pedagogical strategy for achieving academic success and knowledge
retention of the students compared to the traditional method of instruction.
In an attempt to enhance students’ overall performance, scholars such as Moliner and Alegre
(2020), Cockerill, Craig, and Thurston (2018) postulate that “peer tutoring is an active teaching
method that fosters student inclusion in the learning process while enabling students to learn from
one another”. Tran (2014) stated that “peer tutoring method of teaching does not only increase the
performance of students, but also promotes their communication abilities and interpersonal
relationship”. Ani (2007) in Ibrahim, and Wunba, (2018) opined that “peer tutoring strategy helps
in enhancing students’ academic and knowledge retention ability”. Topping (2018) expressed that
peer tutoring is “a cooperative learning method based on a pairing of students who share learning
objectives. These objectives are achieved through a framework in which students have as
asymmetric relationship derived from their respective academic competences”
These exchanges of academic competence invariably result in students’ knowledge retention that
can be transferred to professional proficiency in the work place. Arco-Tirado, Fernández-Martín, &
Hervás-Torres, (2009) concurs with Kuth et al.(2006) and Ruffalo Noel-Levitz (2015), that “peer- tutoring is one of the most extended forms of support onto new students’ adjustment” and further
defined “peer-tutoring as the acquisition of knowledge and skill through active helping and
supporting ...” In this process, among new students, all participants profits from the interaction.
Academic Knowledge Retention
In the cognitive domain, learners clearly express what they have been able to absorb and use them
in problem-solving processes which exhibits comprehension and assimilation that manifest in
academic achievement, competence and knowledge retention which results in the transfer of
knowledge and then to application. When this occurs in students’ learning process they are able to
articulate their academic competency into professional proficiency with salable skills which are the
requisite demand of the workplace. In consonance, therefore, Osuala (2013) believes that when
learners intently acquire knowledge and connect it to formerly conceived knowledge; they own it
by formulating new interpretations. This “learning theories are frameworks that describe how
information is absorbed, processed and retained during learning”. This learning process could be
better enhanced through peer tutoring.
Knowledge retention (usually enhanced through peer tutoring technique) is the capability to absorb
what has been studied and recall what has been understood and kept in the memory for utilization
when the need arises. Bichi (2002), posit that “retention is the ability to retain and later remember
information or knowledge gained after learning”. Researchers, for example, Bichi (2002), opined
that the nature of the material to be learnt and its information processing aids extent of knowledge
retention. Instructional materials and procedures influence the quality and extent of retention in
spans of meaningfulness, specific and image evolving characteristics. Eze, Obidile and Okotubu,
(2020), reiterated that “retention of learning is simply the ability to remember what has been
learnt”.