Industrial Trips: Sight-Seeing or a Learning Experience? Experiences of Students in Cape Coast Technical University (Published)
The goal of the study was to examine the effects of industrial trips on student learning outcomes. The specific objectives were to assess student’s perception on industrial trips, assess the level of student’s involvement in industrial trip activities, determine the hitches militating against the organisation of industrial trips, explore student’s experiences about industrial trips and assess the gains students derive from industrial trips. The explanatory sequential mixed method design was used for the study. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select departments and students for the quantitative part of the study whereas purposive and convenient sampling techniques were employed to select participants for the qualitative part of the study. A sample size of one hundred and eighty-four (184) students from a population of three hundred and forty-two respondents were used for the study. Yamane (1967) formula was used for sample size determination. Questionnaire (closed-ended questions) was the instrument used to collect the quantitative data and semi-structured interviews was used to collect data for the qualitative study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse and interpret the quantitative data while thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was employed to interpret the qualitative data.The study revealed students gain a lot from industrial trip programme as they learn to link theory to practice, establish relationships with experts in industry for career guidance, improve their communication skills, ask job relevant related questions and also establish contact for future industrial attachment placement and subsequent employment in industry. Since the study revealed that industrial trips are useful exercises, it is recommended that it should be continued since it will help enhance the skills and competencies of students, enable them to ask job relevant related questions which will eventually enhance their understanding about theories and concepts taught in class.
Keywords: sight-seeing; learning; experience; industrial trips; human resource development