Abstract:
Admissions into Diploma programmes in Nigerian Polytechnics are in principle, through passing the Polytechnic Joint Matriculation Examinations, in addition to possessing a minimum of four (4) credits including English Language and Mathematics. Prospective diploma candidates with the required qualifications were not able to fill the provisions made in the various Polytechnics and Monotechnics. This led to the introduction of the Preliminary National Diploma (Pre-ND) programme to upgrade ‘O’ Level passes to credit level passes in order to qualify deficient candidates. This programme has been on especially in secretarial studied since 1989 preparing students for the ND programme in lieu of JAMB Examination. As a means of evaluation of the programme vis-à-vis it’s meeting the objectives for which it was introduced and its consistency with the ND programme objectives, there arose the need to correlate the students’ performance at Pre-ND and ND final examinations. The purpose of this study therefore was to find the correlation (relationship) between secretarial students’ performances in Pre-ND and ND final examinations. Three selected Federal Polytechnics in the North-Central area of Nigeria, were studied. A population of 720 secretarial students who passed through the Pre-ND programme in the three Polytechnics studies were used for the study, covering a period of five years. Five years Pre-ND and ND examinations results of secretarial students were used for data generation, while data were analyzed using mean, Pearson’s Product omment Correlation, t-test of significance of correlation coefficient and ANOVA. It was found that there existed positive correlation between Pre-ND and ND examination performances, though there were some variations in individual Polytechnics. It was also found out that performance in Pre-ND examination could serve as a predictor of secretarial students’ performance in their ND final examinations. No significant differences were discovered among the Polytechnics studied in the correlation coefficients of their secretarial students’ Pre-ND and ND examination performances within the five years studied. It was concluded that since positive relationship was established between Pre-ND and ND final examination performances. Pre-ND examination result was a good and reliable means of preparing or qualifying candidates for the ND programme in secretarial studies as an alternative to JAMB examinations. It was recommended that Pre-ND result continues to be used in admitting students into the ND secretarial studies as a remedial programme. Areas that could not be covered by this study were also suggested for further research work on them.
