Statement of the Problem
The Nigerian Government at various levels, individuals and corporate bodies attach great importance to the teaching and learning of technical education courses generally and Metalwork Technology in particular at the NCE (Technical) level. Emphasis has been placed on this area of educational system to meet the scientific and technological objectives of the nation.Yet, these objectives have not been fully achieved over the years due to some problems bordering on teaching methodologies at the Colleges of Education and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria. By the views of Osisioma (1996), Vocational and Technical Education in this country has come of age, but much is not shown for it given the level of support by various governments and organizations worldwide.
Though, the problem of inability of this aspect of the educational system to meet the aspirations of educational planners and others are multidimensional, prominent among them are those associated with the instructional methods. The lecture method which has become almost a traditional method of instruction in higher institutions in Nigeria is widely being criticized. Its criticisms mostly surround its failure to meet the demands of students in learning practical skills (Adigun, 1997 & Nnaobi, 2003). The failure of this method of instruction has resulted into ineffective teaching, poor academic performance by students, low learning rate, retention and poor performance on the job and making the realization of the scientific and technological objectives of the country difficult to achieve. In view of these ailing problems, the search for a modern and appropriate alternative to teaching becomes utmost importance which has necessitated this study.