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Challenges in Teaching Technical Drawing

The government of Malawi aims to develop an educated workforce but faces challenges in technical education. Studies of technical drawing education in Turkey and Nigeria identified best practices but do not apply to Malawi's different education system. This study aims to identify challenges to effective technical drawing education in Malawi's technical colleges and recommend solutions. Specifically, it will examine teaching methods, availability of instructional facilities, and student interest in technical drawing in the Malawian context.

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100% found this document useful (1 vote)
300 views2 pages

Challenges in Teaching Technical Drawing

The government of Malawi aims to develop an educated workforce but faces challenges in technical education. Studies of technical drawing education in Turkey and Nigeria identified best practices but do not apply to Malawi's different education system. This study aims to identify challenges to effective technical drawing education in Malawi's technical colleges and recommend solutions. Specifically, it will examine teaching methods, availability of instructional facilities, and student interest in technical drawing in the Malawian context.

Uploaded by

nthandak
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Problem statement

The government of Malawi, (2017) has put in place the MGDS III whose objective is to move
Malawi to a productive, competitive and resilient nation. To achieve this, key priority areas have
been outlined and the second one focuses on education and skills development. With this is
mind, the government has committed to expanding the skills development sector by introducing
Community technical colleges to add up to the technical colleges already in existent. Despite this
effort, Malawi seems to continue facing challenges not only in ensuring that we have adequate
institutions for skills development but also on other related factors. Among these challenges,
poor performance of students in the technical colleges, specifically technical drawing programs
is one of the main factors.
Applying different approaches, a number of studies have been conducted that aimed at
understanding the challenges of teaching and learning in technical drawing courses. According to
a study conducted by Hande and Hande, (2018) results showed that receiving feedback about
homework assignments and practices during/after the lecture sessions, cognitive development
methods along with class size were found out as the prominent predictors of academic success in
technical drawing courses. Another study conducted by Elom, (2014) the study revealed among
others that most technical teachers use traditional methods during teaching and learning of
technical drawing instead of practical, which enhances the student’s performance. Also the
provision of adequate standard drawing tables, set square, T-square, good learning environment,
makes students learn technical drawing better and easier.
While appreciating the evidence generated on challenges affecting teaching and learning of
technical drawing, these studies were conducted in Turkey and Nigeria. Furthermore, the first
study focused on Architectural and civil engineering students where emphasis was also on
comparing how the different factors affect students studying the two programs. However, these
studies cannot be applied to the context of Malawi, considering that our technical colleges are
operated differently and we operate on different economies and education system, thus providing
a need for a study to be conducted within the country.
Study Objectives
Main Objective
The main objective of the study is to identify the current challenges to effective teaching and
learning of technical drawing in technical colleges and recommend possible solutions to the
challenges.
Specific Objective
The specific objectives are:
 To explore the methods normally adopted in teaching technical drawing.
 To examine the availability, adequacy and suitability of instructional facilities for
teaching of technical drawing.
 To assess the interest of students towards learning technical drawing.
Research questions
 What are methods normally adopted in teaching and learning technical drawing?
 How available, adequate and suitable are instructional facilities for teaching of technical
drawing?
 How positive or negative are the interests of students in learning technical drawing?

Common questions

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Student interest plays a crucial role in the learning of technical drawing, with engaged students typically achieving higher academic success. Strategies to enhance interest could include incorporating more interactive and practical activities, improving teaching methods, and ensuring adequate learning resources. These strategies would need adaptation to fit the Malawian educational system .

The MGDS III aims to transform Malawi into a productive, competitive, and resilient nation by prioritizing education and skills development. Part of this involves expanding the skills development sector through the introduction of Community Technical Colleges, addressing current inadequacies in technical education facilities and infrastructure .

The availability and adequacy of technical drawing facilities, such as standard equipment and suitable teaching environments, are pivotal in influencing student performance. Research indicates that deficiencies in these areas can hinder effective learning, suggesting that improving facilities could significantly boost student outcomes in Malawi .

Some key challenges in teaching and learning technical drawing in Malawi include the adoption of traditional teaching methods and insufficient instructional facilities. In comparison, studies from Turkey and Nigeria identified feedback on assignments, class size, and the importance of practical methods over traditional approaches as predictors of academic success in technical drawing. However, due to differences in economic conditions and educational systems, these findings may not fully apply to Malawi .

Turkey and Nigeria emphasize feedback, cognitive methods, and practical teaching, whereas Malawi's current challenges lie in the prevalent use of traditional methods and inadequate resources. The proposed objectives for Malawi suggest shifting towards more interactive teaching approaches and improving facilities to align with successful methods identified in other countries .

Research suggests that smaller class sizes and timely feedback on assignments significantly enhance academic success in technical drawing courses. By addressing these factors, Malawi could improve educational outcomes by facilitating personalized instruction and continuous student assessment .

Proposed solutions include adopting practical teaching methods, improving instructional facilities, and ensuring smaller class sizes and effective feedback mechanisms. Adopting these strategies would require considerations of local educational and economic contexts to be effective .

Instructional facilities such as standard drawing tables, set squares, and a conducive learning environment are critical for effective teaching of technical drawing. In Malawi, there is a deficiency in these resources, making it challenging for the teaching methods to be as effective as they could be .

A study specific to Malawi is necessary due to differences in how technical colleges operate, and the unique economic and educational context compared to other countries like Turkey and Nigeria. This local study could identify context-specific challenges and solutions, ensuring any educational reforms are appropriately tailored .

Studies from Nigeria highlighted the superiority of practical teaching methods over traditional methods for enhancing performance in technical drawing. Turkish studies emphasized feedback and cognitive development methods. For Malawi, adopting more practical methods could potentially improve student performance, though implementation would need to consider local context and resources .

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