Enhancing skills acquisition in motor rewinding for electrical instructor trainees at jinja vocational training institute, Uganda

Abstract

The action research project aimed at enhancing skills acquisition in motor rewinding and for Diploma in Instructor and Technical Teacher Education (DITTE) electrical engineering instructor trainees at Jinja Vocational Training Institute. To achieve the above _ aim, the project was hinged on four core objectives namely; to examine the challenges of skill acquisition m motor rewinding and, identify strategies for enhancing skills acquisition m motor rewinding, implement possible strategies as well as evaluate the intervention strategies in enhancing skills acquisition in motor rewindi11g. The project employed action research through participatory approach design. The study sample comprised 32 participants who included 5 administrators, 4 instructors, 23 DITTE instructor trainees in electrical engineering. Data was collected using focused group discussion, participatory observation, interview, documentary review and future workshop as a tool to identify the research problem. The data collected was coded and presented under themes following research objectives. The researcher together with stakeholders analyzed the challenges hindering skills acquisition in motor rewinding and motor starter. The findings revealed that inappropriate teaching of practical work (skills acquisition), inadequate teaching and learning materials, inadequate field tours, and inadequate time for practical training were the key challenges to skills acquisition in motor rewinding. In order to counteract these challenges, a number of strategies were implemented and these included: real life project in motor rewinding, in house training, cost sharing on training materials and more time allocated for the motor rewinding project, four instructors and twenty-three instructor trainees were trained as a result of implementing the above strategies.