Tracing the science education graduates

Abstract

Retrospective analysis and evaluation through tracer studies is one of the most common ways to self-initiated University's self-evaluation scheme to determine adequacy, relevance and alignment of its curricular offerings to the national and international standards for better human resource of the country. The current tracer study determined the same domains through descriptive survey design in order to evaluate the science education curricular program of the graduate education offered by the country's premier teacher education institution. With about 41% retrieval rate; data from the 15 outcomes or products of the aforecited program provided the following: satisfaction (M=2.82) to high satisfaction (M=3.11, 3.38) with the University's facilities, services, and learning environment respectively; high extent of skill-use (knowledge and technical, research, problem-solving, human relations) in their professional careers; and strong agreement on adequacy (M=4.29) and relevance (M=4.17) of the curricular program. Though the products of the program highly regard the program for its relevance and adequacy, more improvement is seen to be done on the other aspects such as the number of graduates produced each year to compensate and fill in the big gap produced by the curricular transition in the national scene. Better mobility may also be achieved if the programs would consider ASEAN and international touch.

Tracer Study of Technical Education Graduates of Osun State College of Education, 2011-2015

“…Tracer studies or follow-up studies are essential for tertiary institutions as they are designed to find a group of individuals who have shared a specific type of training or educational background. They thus provide a basis to explore the impact of a common training or educational experience on labour market outcomes, and facilitate the collection of richer and more detailed information than generally provided in conventional household or labour force surveys (Rojas & Rojas, 2016;Evangelista & Morales, 2017). Undoubtedly, tracer study results is a powerful tool which documented the employment characteristics, transition to employment and the level of satisfaction of the in terms of the level of satisfaction of the higher institutions services, learning environment and facilities.…”

Tracer study of bachelor of science in entrepreneurship graduates of Kalinga State University

“…The importance of conducting tracer study is recognized globally by Higher Education Institutions as the quality of any nation's human capital is linked to the effectiveness of academic institutions. Tracer studies are a form of practical research that can evaluate the outcomes of the institution's delivery of instruction and training programs for its students (Evangelista & Morales, 2017). It provides data on graduate employment status and information on the relevance of the curriculum in their first and current jobs and, more specifically, the relationship between educational qualifications and requisite work skills (Cuadra, Aure, & Gonzaga, 2019;Cañizares, 2015;Gonzales, 2019;Jingnan, Yunus, & Kamal, 2018).…”

Science Education Graduates of a State University from 2008-2018: A Tracer Study

“…Moreover, some researchers likewise emphasized that tracer study measures the relevance of competencies to the field of work, which can improve curriculum for better human resources (Evangelista & Morales, 2017;Nivera et al, 2013). Henceforth, tracer studies are important feedback mechanisms on the graduates' employability and competencies acquired.…”

“…The present study is anchored on the concept of institutional evaluation through self-evaluation, which may be provided by graduate tracer studies (Evangelista & Morales, 2017). Self-evaluation allows educational institutions to have an in-depth and comprehensive assessment of the quality of its programs and services, and its institutional effectiveness in support of student success (Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges [ACCJC], 2020).…”

“…However, there are only a few tracer studies conducted with a focus on science education program. Evangelista and Morales (2017) conducted a tracer study that determined the adequacy, relevance, and alignment of the science education program of the graduate education offered by the Philippine Normal University Manila. Similarly, another local study was conducted by Cañizares (2015) which traced the science and mathematics education graduates of the University of San Carlos, to determine the relevance of its programs.…”