Institutional Case-based Study on the Effect of Research Methods on Project Work in the Curriculum of Mechanical Engineering Programmes in Ghanaian Polytechnics

Abstract

Preparing students for Project Work (PROJ 1 and PROJ 2) require them to go through Research Methods (RE) as part of the curriculum though it takes the centre stage of the entire preparation process. Knowledge of the relationships between the two could be a useful tool in improving the performance of students in the former. The purpose of the case study was therefore to assess the relationship between the two courses of Higher National Diploma (HND) Mechanical Engineering students in Cape Coast Polytechnic, Ghana, within a ten-year period from 2002 to 2011. Raw data of examination results of all 529 students comprising Plant Maintenance Engineering, 285; Automotive Engineering, 165; and Production Engineering 79, on case-by-case basis was analyzed. The study was entirely quantitative employing frequencies, percentages, ratios and tables as descriptive tools for the analysis. The strength, direction and significance (ρ) of Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) between the courses were determined utilizing SPSS, version 21 software. The ratios, in terms of positive significant correlation coefficients were found to be 11:7:13 for RE/PROJ 1; RE/PROJ 2; and PROJ1/PROJ 2 respectively; and 16:11:4 for Plant Maintenance, Automotive and Production Engineering respectively. Strength ranged between 0.117 and 0.869. The paper suggests that in reviewing the subject-curricula for the two courses, experts with professional background in curriculum design and structuring should be involved. Stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education (MoE), National Accreditation Board (NAB); The National Board for Professional and Technical Examination, (NABPTEX); the Polytechnic(s); and subject teachers should be included in the process.

Keywords: annual; biennial; correlation coefficient; relationship: subject-curricula.