DEWEY’S PHILOSOPHY OF EXPERIMENTATION AND TRAINEES ACQUISITION OF PRACTICAL SKILLS IN TECHNICAL TRAINING INSTITUTIONS IN MERU COUNTY, KENYA.

Abstract

Vocational Education Training (TVET) aims to empower the trainee to acquire skills for the job market and boost personal and national economic development. In Dewey’s philosophy of Experimentation, there is a close link between a child’s life and experiences as a continuous process, which Dewey regards as the aim of training which forms the basis of equipping a child with a competence for self-reliance. Technical Training Trainees have demonstrated limited mastery of skills trained in their workstations in the industry. The study aimed to establish the influence of John Dewey’s Philosophy of Experimentation on Trainees’ acquisition of practical skills in TVET Institutions. The study adopted a Descriptive Survey Design. The study's target population was 5160 consisting of Technical Trainees, Technical Trainers, and Industry Experts. The sample size was 357 respondents comprising 330 Technical Training Trainees from TVET institutions, 17 Technical Trainers, and 10 Industry experts. The instruments for data collection were Questionnaires for Technical Trainees `and Trainers. Interview Schedule was used on Industry experts. Research instruments were validated for content and construct validity by supervisors. The instruments were piloted in two Technical Training Institutions in Tharaka Nithi County. The reliability of the instruments was approximated using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient. It was found that the reliability of the Trainees’ Questionnaire was 0.854 and that of Trainers was 0.827. The study was informed by Pragmatic and Experiential Theories. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 for Windows was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics included mean, percentages, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation. Inferential statistics included t-test, ANOVA, Chi-square, and regression analysis. Hypotheses of the study were tested using linear regression analysis at α = 0.05 level of significance and the analyzed data was presented in tables. The study established that Trainers’ Academic Qualifications, Pedagogical Approaches, Availability of Training resources, Trainer's working experience, and Trainer’s Awareness of IndustryOccupational Standards do not have a significant relationship with skill acquisition among Trainees in TVET institutions. The current study did not support the findings that therewas no significant relationship between Trainers’ awareness of industry occupational standards on Trainee acquisition of practical skills in TVET institutions in Meru County, Kenya. The findings of this study may contribute to the body of knowledge on the influence of Dewey’s philosophy on trainees’ acquisition of practical skills in technical institutions. The study findings may also prompt Technical Trainers to reflect on Dewey’s Philosophy and Trainees’ Acquisition of Practical Skills in Technical Institutions. In addition, the findings of the study may provide information to curriculum developers and policymakers in coming up with policies and plans that would incorporate ideas of Dewey’s philosophy on Trainees’ acquisition of practical skills in technical institutions as well as provide a basis for further research.