Measuring the Perception of Secondary School Students in Kedah Towards the Attractiveness of Technical and Vocational Education and Training: A Demographic Analysis

Abstract

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is one of the ways to produce skilled workers who are crucial to drive the economic of our country. Despite several strategies made by the government, TVET still does not seem to be a popular choice among secondary school students when choosing their tertiary education pathway. Hence, this study aims to analyse the students’ perception of TVET based on the demographic analysis of gender and current study stream in school in Kedah. The sole focus is on the students who are not enrolling in TVET so that more reasons why they are not likely to join TVET can be discovered. For the data collection process, 428 secondary school students from Kedah are chosen as the respondents. Descriptive analysis of the data is performed using Microsoft Excel and Google Data Studio. The results reveal that male and female students have positive perceptions of TVET even though they do not enrol in TVET. Furthermore, most students from various streams also show their interest in TVET. However, the majority of students are undecided about the assertions in the questionnaire due to unfamiliarity with this course. As a result, it is recommended that the government continue promoting TVET among secondary school students hence preparing them with specific skills that meet the current industrial requirement.