Teaching Activities and the Development of Professional and Entrepreneurial Skills among Higher Education Students in English-Speaking Higher Institutions in Cameroon

Abstract

It has been verified that professional and entrepreneurial skills are essential for the 21st century youth and the workforce. There is however a concern on the various teaching activities that do develop these skills in the learner. The main purpose of this study was to examine the influence of teaching activities on the development of professional and entrepreneurial skills in higher education students in English-speaking higher institutions in Cameroon. Four objectives were formulated to guide this study. That is, to examine how teaching methods, instructional materials, assessment activities and internship activities influence the development of professional and entrepreneurial skills in higher education students in English-speaking higher institutions in Cameroon. These objectives were later transformed into research questions and research hypotheses. To achieve the objectives of this study, the sequential explanatory design was used. The study targeted all second-year master’s degree and PhD students, in the universities of Buea and Bamenda. A total of 590 students were selected through the purposive sampling technique to participate in the study. Data was collected using a questionnaire. It was analysed using inferential statistics. Inferential statistics were analysed using Spearman’s rho test. Results revealed that teaching activities do influence the development of professional and entrepreneurial skills in higher education students in English-speaking higher institutions in Cameroon. That is, all the null hypotheses were rejected while the alternative hypotheses were retained. Based on this, the following recommendations were made; Teaching methods should be learner centred and not teacher centred. Assessment activities should engage more on problem-based assessment and authentic assessment. University administrators should ensure that relevant curriculum is implemented for students’ better learning. School curriculum must emphasise skills that are commonly sought by employers.