Students and Teachers’ Perceptions on Vocational Skills in Promoting Technical Innovation: The Case of Veta Kihonda in Morogoro Municipality

Abstract

The study focused on the students' and teachers' perceptions of vocational skills in promoting technical innovation; a case of Morogoro Municipality specifically at VETA Kihonda. The study employed a descriptive research design based on a mixed approach i.e., both qualitative and quantitative data were used. To select respondents, both simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used. The sample size of 105 was calculated by using Yamane's [1] formula. Therefore, 90 finalist VETA students were randomly selected while 15 teachers were purposively selected and used in this study. Both primary and secondary data sources were used in the study. Moreover, qualitative data were analyzed thematically while quantitative data were descriptively analyzed with the support of SPSS version 25 to generate frequencies and percentages. The study revealed that the high cost of raw materials, lack of access to finance, lack of qualified personnel, lack of motivation, and environmental factors were perceived by respondents to be the challenge for VETA in promoting technological innovation. Based on the study findings, researchers recommended that the modernization of workshops/training facilities periodically and the replacement of older training equipment and tools with new ones are required.