A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CLOTHING AND TEXTILES EDUCATION IN HOME ECONOMICS PROGRAMMES IN SAKI EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Home Economics, including Clothing and Textiles education, equip students with self-reliance and occupational skills. The problem of low student’s performance can be partly attributed to teachers’ qualifications and available resources. This study investigates the connection and implementation of clothing and textiles education across three secondary school subjects in Nigeria: Practical Arts (PA), Technology and Home Economics (THE), and Home Economics (HE). A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed, collecting quantitative data from students and teachers in the Saki East Local Government Area of Oyo State. A structured questionnaire was used to examine the knowledge assessment test and a curriculum analysis protocol. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, ANOVA and multiple linear regressions. Findings revealed a statistically significant disparity in student knowledge scores across the subjects, with HE students (M=14.30, SD=3.25) outperforming THE (M=13.05, SD=3.10) and PA (M=11.20, SD=2.95) students (F(2,313)=25.74, p<0.001). A significant association was found between school type and subject offering (χ²(2)=39.75, p<0.001), with HE being more prevalent in private schools. Crucially, multiple regression identified the learning environment as the strongest predictor of knowledge scores (β=0.26, p<0.001), accounting for 36% of the variance. The study concludes that the effectiveness of clothing and textiles education is mediated by curricular specialization, institutional resources and socio-economic factors. The study recommends among others to include curriculum standardization, equitable resource investment and targeted teacher professional development to enhance vocational skill acquisition and address existing educational inequalities.