GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT

It is observed by the researcher that Computer Science graduates are deficient in database design skills need for job creation. This deficiency in skills is not unconnected with the performance gap between what the national benchmark for Computer Science in Nigerian universities requires and what graduates of Computer Science can perform. The main purpose of this study was to determine the database design skills need for proficiency of Computer Science students in Federal Universities in South-South, Nigeria. Two research questions and two null hypotheses were raised and formulated respectively to guide the study. Descriptive survey design was adopted to guide the study. The population of the study consisted 581 Computer Science lecturers and students in five federal universities offering Computer Science as a discipline in South-south, Nigeria. A sample of 236 lecturers and students was selected using a multi-stage sampling using stratified sampling and Taro Yamane formula; random sampling was employed to pick the selected lecturers and students. The researcher-developed instrument titled “Database Design Skills Need (DDSN)” questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. The instrument was face validated by three experts, one from the Department of Curriculum Studies, Educational Management and Planning, two from the Department of Vocational Education, all in the Faculty of Education, University of Uyo. Item discrimination method using Cronbach Alpha technique was employed to determine the internal consistency of the instrument and a reliability coefficient of .92 was obtained. Copies of the research instrument were administered by the researcher on the sample of 236 respondents out of which 229 representing 97% were returned and were used for analysis. Mean was used to answer the research questions and t-test statistic was used to test the null hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The findings revealed that, database normalisation, database programming skills are highly needed for proficiency of Computer Science students in Federal Universities in South-South, Nigeria. It is recommended among others that the Federal Ministry of Education through National Universities Commission (NUC) should re-design Computer Science curriculum specifically database design contents with practical-oriented concepts so that students will acquire the needed skills to design database for industries thereby creating jobs for themselves after graduation.

KEYWORDS: Database, Database design, Skills need, Normalisation, programming.