ENHANCING TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) THROUGH ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE DIGITAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AS PATHWAYS TO NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

The study examined strategies for enhancing Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) through accessible and inclusive digital learning environment as pathways to national development in Nigeria. Three research questions were answered with corresponding null hypotheses that were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study employed the descriptive research survey design and was carried out in Rivers State. The population of the study was all 31 lecturers and 458 students of Industrial Technology Education. Due to small population size of lecturers, it was a census study while stratified random sampling technique was use to select 86 final year students. Hence, the sample for the study was 117 respondents (Lecturers = 31; Students = 86). The instrument for data collection was self-structure questionnaire tagged “Strategies for Enhancing Technical Vocational Education and Training Digital Learning Questionnaire (SETVETDLQ)” which was design and patterned after a modified 4-point rating scale of agreement. The instrument was validated and tested for reliability using test-retest method. A reliability coefficient of .83 was established using and Pearson Product Moment Correlation.. Data collected was analysed using descriptive statistic of Mean with Standard Deviation to answered the research questions while the null hypotheses were tested with z-test. The study found that the use of adaptive technologies, universal design principles, and inclusive teaching practices are strategies for enhancing accessible and inclusive digital learning environments as pathways for national development in Nigeria. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that Government and stakeholders of TVET should ensure proper implementation of comprehensive professional development programs to enhance the digital literacy and pedagogical skills of TVET educators.