AN
INVESTIGATION INTO THE CONSEQUENCES OF OFFICE TECHNOLOGIES IN SECRETARIAL
EDUCATION CURRICULUM IN NIGERIAN POLYTECHNICS
(A CASE STUDY OF INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND
TECHNOLOGY, ENUGU)
ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to discover the possible
consequences posed by the office technologies in secretarial education
curriculum in Nigeria Polytechnics. This
study was conducted using the Institute
of Management and
Technology (I.M.T) Enugu
as a case study.
The instrument used for data collection was the
questionnaire and literature review, while a total of four research question
were also posed.
The information collected from the respondents were
analyzed using simple percentage method and they were used in answering the
research question.The data collected and analyzed showed that enormous
consequences were imposed on secretarial education curriculum by constant
change in office technologies. The consequences entails the re-training and
attending of seminars, conferences and workshop by the teachers/lecturers on
the uses and operations of the new office equipment/machines, this is with a
view to imparting such knowledge on the student secretaries together with the
introduction of some new relevant courses to enable them face squarely the
consequences of incessant office technological changes now rampant in the
business environment.
The finding upheld the need for easy introduction of
accepted new courses. It was revealed that the staff of the department should
be coped by the Polytechnics regulation body, the National Board for Technical
Education (NBTE) in the curriculum planning.
Based on these, recommendations were drawn which the
researcher feels if followed and adhered strictly to, will always give a good
answer to any future consequences imposed on secretarial education curriculum
by change in office technologies.
Since no research work is ever completely concluded because
of some certain constraints, some suggested areas for further research were
also given.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Title
page i
Approval
page ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgment iv
Abstract vi
Table
of contents viii
Chapter one
1.0
Introduction 1
1.1.
Background of the Study 1
1.2.
Statement of the
Problems 3
1.3.
Purpose Of The Study 5
1.4.
Significance Of The
Study 6
1.5.
Research Questions 7
1.6.
Scope/Delimitation Of
The Study 8
1.7.
Definition Of Terms 9
Chapter two
2.0
Review of Related
Literature 11
2.1
Introduction 11
2.2
Technology and office
technological Changes 12
2.3
Technological changes
and Its Consequences
on
Secretarial Education Programme 18
2.4
Effects of Office
Technology on Job
Performance
of Secretaries 21
2.5
The development and
Definition of Office Technologies 23
2.6
An ideal curriculum for
Business Studies
and
Technological Development 24
2.7
Summary of Literature
Review 29
Chapter
Three
3.0
Research Design and
Methodology 31
3.1
Research Design 31
3.2
Research Methodology 32
3.3
Population f the Study 32
3.4
Sample 33
3.5
Sampling Method 34
3.6
Instrument Used for
Data Collection 34
3.7
Method of Data
Collection 34
3.8
Method of Data Analysis 35
Chapter
Four
4.0
Data Presentation and
Analysis 37
4.1
Introduction 37
Chapter
Five
5.0
Summary of Findings,
Recommendations, Conclusion and Suggested Areas for Further Research 49
5.1
Summary of Findings 49
5.2
Recommendations 51
5.3
Conclusions 53
5.4
Implication of the
Study 54
5.5
Suggestions for Further
Research 54
References
56
Appendix:
Sample of Research Questionnaire 59
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND OF
THE STUDY
As
life is becoming more dynamic, more complex in educational, socio-cultural,
industrial and commercial developments due to the increasing technological
advancements, the secretarial profession is not left in the loaves and the jobs
of secretaries appear at first sight among those threatened. This is because new machines, are threatening
to take over the jobs performed by secretaries thereby making them face job
hazard of redundancy, retirement and retrenchments and mass unemployment.
Presently,
Nigeria
is undergoing technological revolutions just like any other developing country
of the world. This technological
advancement has actually revolutionized most office activities and procedures. Until recently, the study of secretarial
educations programme in our polytechnics especially in Institute of Management
and Technology (IMT), Enugu
was based mainly on shorthand, typewriting and office practice. But the activities had greatly changed since
supervision of the polytechnics by the NBTE.
The
task and activities these categories of workers in most offices and business
circles have also increased tremendously because of the high office
responsibilities expected of the secretary to now handle with little or not
supervisions, the scope of the course
they now cover before qualification, has also greatly increased.
They
now have to be trained and educated in too many courses and have to acquire
more technical skills to be able to handle and manipulate the very modern
office automated machines now inherent in most business offices. This will make
them to be marketable and employable.
Secretarial
profession now has to battle with the skills of handling the electric
typewriters, scanners, word processors, the facsimile (Fax) machines, the
computer etc. Will enable her meet up
with the increasing demand of collecting, processing, storing and disseminating
information as and when urgently required unlike the era of manual typewriters
and filing cabinets that waste time.
It
should be noted that these automatic high-technological machines cannot do
everything or operate themselves without human aid, thus making the needs and
quests for the professionals in the secretarial field necessary.
The
most current and implicating question in the minds of the present day secretarial
studies educators and curriculum planners is what to do in order to keep pace
with the new technological changes in secretarial office automated equipment.
This is because the more knowledgeable the secretaries are in the use of these
office automated equipment, the better prepared our country will be to develop
technologically.
Hence
in the opinion of Kanu (1987), there must be positive attitude towards
continuous up-dating of knowledge for everyone, especially the secretaries, if
this age of technological advancement is to be acquired and improved
advancement and inter-personnel skills developed.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE
PROBLEMS
The
incessant changes and advancements in office automation has given rise to an
urgent and constant training of the employees who handle and operated these new
machines. It should be realized that
most of these new high technological equipment like the computers, which stole
into the business offices throughout the world unnoticed are very expensive to
acquire and maintain and no organization would like these all cost effective
equipment to lie idle, waste or become obsolete within a short period simply
because there is no capable hands or professional to handle them. Therefore, these technological changes
therefore represent a very demanding implication on the secretarial education
curriculum.
Since
a lot of office work is based on the basic knowledge of keyboarding and
clerical skills, it becomes apparent that if secretarial education curriculum
in out polytechnics is not reviewed, revisited and updated from time to time,
to adequately take care of these technological changes, the products turned out
with this curriculum might not be able to face challenges they are bound to
meet when they are finally employed.
If
therefore, becomes apparent that those concerned with the training and
education of secretaries in out polytechnics and other institutions of higher
learning should always adjust their curriculum so as to catch up and stay
afloat with the incessant technological changes and advancements. The problem
then is how far have Polytechnic especially Institute of Management
and Technology, Enugu
been able to adjust its curriculum to reflect the current development? How far
have they been able to purchase the required equipment necessary for the
training of Secretaries? Do they have
qualified personnel to handle these equipment?
Are the students being adequately prepared for the business world/ These and many more are what they research is
out to answer.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The main purpose
of this research work is to:
i.
To find out the consequences of office technologies in
secretarial education curriculum in I.M.T., Enugu.
ii.
Find out cause of frequent changes in educational curriculum
especially that of secretarial education programme performance.
iii.
To ascertain whether these office technologies that are used
in different offices today are available in the department of Secretarial
Studies of Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu which is actively involved in the training
of secretaries
iv.
Identify whether the curriculum planners recognized these
consequences before going on the drawing board, especially as it concerns
Secretarial Duties.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Technological development has taken a
rather tremendous new dimension since the middle of this century. According to Ndubuisi (1981), since there is
need to promote interest in more and advanced technology, provision should also
be made for institution and Nation as a whole, curriculum planners and business
world.
By finding out the effects of
consequences of office technology on the secretarial educations curriculum in
our polytechnics especially the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu
all that are involved in the training of these category of professionals and
the curriculum planners, will be able to adjust their curricula and course
contents to suit the needs of the expanding technological business world. Their
products, the students secretaries would then be prepared well enough to enter
the new world of automated offices and still face squarely the challenges
inherent in high technological environments without fear of retrenchment.
The study will among other things,
serve as a guide to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in determining
these new trends that are destined to become an integral part of business
studies and include same in the program/school syllabus.
Finally, the country and the business
parastatals will also benefit from this study since the school of business has
been producing very proficient and marketable personnel that will stand the
vigorous test of time through updated planned curricula, especially in this era
of technological advancement.
1.5
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
In order to obtain more purposeful and
significant results from the data analysis, the following questions will be
tested in the course of the study.
a.
What are the
consequences of office technologies in the Secretarial Education Curriculum in Institute of Management and Technology (I.M.T), Enugu?
b.
Is the Institute
prepared to meet up with the consequences in training students for today’s and
future sophisticated technological office environment?
c.
What effect have the
frequent changes in curriculum brought to the secretarial Studies Department?
d.
Being aware of the
technological changes in the country do you think the frequent changes will
have any effect in your career as secretaries?
1.6
SCOPE/DELIMITATION
OF THE STUDY
As a result of the broad nature of
secretarial education curriculum, the researcher limited this work to office
technology aspect of the curriculum.
However, the research will concentrate
his research work on the Institute
of Management and
technology Enugu.
It is within this precinct that this study is delimited.
1.7
DEFINITION OF
TERMS
Breeding
unemployment Graduates:
Training and turning-out of graduates
who cannot be employed because they lack the required skills for handling and
manipulating modern office machines and equipment.
Curriculum:
Subject/courses included in course of
study like secretarial studies or taught in a particular school or college.
Office
Technologies:
The application of the use of modern
office machines and equipment in performing office tasks for quicker and
greater productivity.
Computer
Literacy
Being educated or enlightened on the
uses, functions an operations of the electronic data processing machine called
the computer which is capable of handling, processing, storing and retrieving
information at the shortest possible time.
Office
Automation
The use of different types/kinds of
machines aided devices to work in an office in order to improve the efficiency
and effectiveness of the employed manpower.
Technological
Revolution
Drastic change/shift from the use of
old fashioned machine and equipment to the recently manufactured (modern) ones.
Techniques
Methods of getting things done.