BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN CURRICULUM DESIGN AND CLASSROOMPRACTICE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION FOR EFFECTIVE SKILLSACQUISITION IN THE DIGITAL TVET ERA

Abstract

This study examined the alignment between curriculum design and classroom practice in
entrepreneurship education for effective skills acquisition in the digital Technical and
Vocational Education and Training (TVET) era. Guided by three specific purposes and
research questions, the study investigated the level of alignment between entrepreneurship
education curricula and classroom practice, identified factors responsible for existing gaps,
and proposed strategies for improving implementation to enhance student outcomes.
Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 110
lecturers (47 males and 63 females) from the Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education,
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, all of whom were studied. Data were collected using a
structured questionnaire validated by experts and tested for reliability using the Cronbach
Alpha method, which yielded a coefficient of 0.83. Mean and standard deviation were used to
answer the research questions, while t-test was employed to test the null hypotheses at the
0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that classroom practice reflects
entrepreneurship curriculum objectives to a moderate extent, with strengths in content
coverage and use of practical examples, but weaknesses in deep experiential engagement and
authentic assessment. The gap between curriculum design and classroom practice was
attributed to inadequate resources, insufficient funding, limited lecturer preparedness, weak
industry collaboration, and structural constraints. The study further identified increased
funding, lecturer capacity building, industry partnerships, experiential learning, mentorship,
and digital integration as key strategies for improvement. The study recommended the need
for improved curriculum–practice alignment through increased funding for practical
entrepreneurship facilities, continuous lecturer professional development, strengthened
industry and community partnerships, adoption of experiential and competency-based
assessment approaches, and strategic integration of digital tools