1.1 Introduction
Adult education is the acquisition of reading and writing skills which are to be applied for the development of the community. Adult education is concerned with social welfare of agricultural extension and community development. Adult education can be seen to contribute immensely to the growth and development of a society. It is a lucrative profession that extends in many directions and not only in teaching profession, hence listing of job potentialities of adult educators.
Adult education when compared with other discipline within the field of education has just emerged unlike older disciplines which have enjoyed systematic research and training. This exercise is tackled individually based on orientation, environment, motives, privileges etc. It could even occur as restraining in an organization or even for some other motives irrespectively.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitation of the study and Definition of terms.
1.2 Background of Study
In the recent past, the Federal Government of Nigeria launched education for all by the year 2000. To this gesture, Adult education exercise prompted up in many institutions of higher learning in Nigeria but the main aim with which this was launched, is still lingering. These adult education graduation graduates who are opportune to gain from they still find it difficult to make career opportunities in the fields. They, in most cases do not even know on identify the possible employment opportunity options available to them other than teaching career. These graduates also complained that the employers are ignorant of the purpose and content of the adult education programme, thereby refusing to employ them in other jobs they are qualified for.
The utmost aim of education is to produce a well-rounded individual that would be useful to individuals and the society at large having been found worthy in learning and in character as well as a change in behavior. Adult education as a field of study promotes this aim of education as it provides the adult learners with the necessary material, human, cultural and economic skills in order for them to be useful to themselves and the society at large.
In 1959 the Ashby Commission was set up to determine Nigeria’s human resource needs vis-à-vis the country’s secondary and higher levels of education for a period of twenty years, 1960-1980 (Nwadiani, 2011). Thirty-four years down the ladder, Nigeria as a nation still remains one of the developing countries of the world due to social, economic and political factors like unemployment, overpopulation, illiteracy, starvation, corruption, gender inequality, etc which have become great impediments to the overall achievement of the aim of education in general and adult education in particular which is seen in most of the Third World to serve another purpose.
Okedara, et al, (2001), note that whether narrowly conceived as adult literacy (functional or not), the extension of elementary schooling to the masses, or whether more widely as incorporating extension is based on nationally identified needs rather than an individual wants.
Adult education gainfully enables or equips adult learners in all these nationally identified needs in order for them to free their minds from factors or agents militating against the growth of a nation. These nationally identified needs cut across all areas in adult education as a field of study. Adult education graduates could liaise with agencies like educational planners, policy-makers, and consultants in varied contexts as private business, government and public agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profit organizations, churches and religious organizations, international organizations as well as community-based groups or initiatives in order to harness these career opportunities in the field of adult education.
It becomes worrisome to see that these graduates who have undergone training or completed a course in adult education still find it difficult to pick up careers in this field, hence the need to take a look at the perception of career opportunities in adult education whether due to internal or external factors because according to Lent, Brown and Hackett (2002), outcome expectations are described as an individual’s belief concerning the consequence or outcome from completing a specific action.
Therefore, in Nigeria, where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Perception of Career Opportunities in Adult Education for Adult and Non-Formal Education Graduates.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that adult education as a discipline provides its graduate with various career opportunities in order for individuals to be useful to themselves and the society. These opportunities are mostly not utilized due to the graduate’s perception of the term adult education in a bid not to fully utilize these career opportunities the adult education graduate could be labeled half educated; because in actual practice the knowledge he acquired in the field is not brought to bear.
This overwhelming ignorance which embrace the whole aspect of the sector of education is also due to lack of efficient and effective guiding principle by the adult educators who in their own ignorance do not know even how to start to blend the education of adult and the subsequent awareness to the masses so that the participants in the programme and employers themselves will be well aware of these people’s ability in handling jobs and to avoid reluctance in participation by these adults.
Education as it were, provides the individual with mental ability to equip individuals with the required knowledge which are linked with career opportunities in such discipline in order for that individual to stand out in the society. The problem that led to this study is to look at what is the perception of career opportunities in adult education for adult and non-formal education graduates.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to examine the Perception of Career Opportunities in Adult Education for Adult and Non-Formal Education Graduates. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To ascertain the level of people’s perception on the career opportunities in Adult Education for Adult and Non-formal Education graduates;
- To look at people’s perception on the impact of career opportunities in Adult Education on Adult and Non-formal Education graduates;
- To obtain respondents’ perceptions on the literacy and vocational skills in adult education couple with government’s support;
- To find out the level of people’s awareness of Adult Education; and
- To determine whether adult education graduates utilize the career opportunities in adult education.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What are respondents’ perception on Adult and Non-formal Education?
- How is the level of perception of respondents on career opportunities in Adult Education for Adult and Non-formal Education graduates?
- How are respondents’ perceptions of the impact of career opportunities in Adult Education on Adult and Non-formal Education graduates?
- What are the perception of respondents on the utilization of the career opportunities in Adult Education by the graduates of Adult and Non-formal Education?
- What are the perceptions of respondents on literacy and vocational skills adult educational career opportunity for Adult and Non-formal Education graduates coupled with government’s support?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: People are not informed about adult education employment opportunities among graduates in the area under review
- H1: People are informed about adult education employment opportunities among graduates in the area under review
Hypothesis Two
- H0: The qualities of training received by these people are not made known to the employers of labour by the adult educators.
- H1: The qualities of training received by these people are made known to the employers of labour by the adult educators.
1.7 Significance of Study
The findings of this research will provide useful information to new students and those in this field of study on the existing career opportunities in it in order to be equipped to face the challenges after school.
It will help to shape public perception on the career developmental choices that are available in the field so that adult education can fully gain its pride of place in the society and as a result promote the discipline.
The study to a great extent will reveal to interested educationists (researchers, policy makers and curriculum planners) the need to put in motion machineries for proper propagation of the usefulness of the discipline in a developing country like Nigeria.
Finally, the study will open up incisive and interesting areas of study in research particularly as it affects career opportunities in the discipline.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Perception of Career Opportunities in Adult Education for Adult and Non-Formal Education Graduates in Owerri-West Local Government Area of Imo State.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Adult Education:
It is the acquisition of reading and writing skills which are to be applied for the development of the community.
Career:
The series of jobs that a person has in a particular area of work or field.
Opportunities:
Visible chances that serve as ways to success.
Non-formal Education:
This consists of education and training programmes which are provided by government and non-governmental organisations including private individuals outside the formal school system.
Perception:
An idea, a belief or an image you have as a result of how you see or understand something.
