CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses procedures to be used in carrying out this study. The chapter is discussed under the following sub-headings;
1. Research Design
2. Population, Sample and Sampling Techniques
3. Instrumentation
4. Procedure for Data Collection
5. Data Analysis Techniques
Research Design
The research design for this study would be descriptive survey design. Descriptive research is the study which is concerned with describing the characteristics of a particular individual or a group (Kothari, 2012). Also, Best & Kahn (2005) maintained that correlational research design is an approach that seeks to establish relationship between two or more complex variables on the basis of predictions made while Baba (2005) explained that this type of research design is used where the researcher studies the subjects at one time or within a specified period of time. Therefore, the descriptive survey of correlational type is considered appropriate to be adopted to describe the influence of labour market demand on university graduate employability as it exists in the North-west, Nigeria. Also, it would allow the researcher to make a careful collection of data in such a way that information obtained from a representative sample of the target population would be analysed for generalisation.
Population, Sample and Sampling Techniques
The population for this study comprises Top Management Staff (TMS) in various institutions and organisations in North-west, Nigeria. The target population for the study consists of 1,216 top management staff in Education, Banking, Commerce, Manufacturing, Science and Technology industries in the North-West, Nigeria (Field work, 2016). The top management staff in this study are directors at States Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), Teachers’ Service Commission (TESCOM), states Ministry of Education, registrars in tertiary institutions (universities, polytechnics and colleges of education) in the four selected states, bank managers, banks’ heads of departments (operation and marketing), heads of departments (administrative, human resource, production and marketing) in commerce and industry as well as science and technology organizations. The selection of these management staff is based on the reason that they are operational managers who evaluate and assess university graduates who work directly under them.
The four states selected for the study are Zamfara, Jigawa, Kaduna and Katsina States. These states are selected for the study in the North-west zone because they recorded highest rates of unemployment, Zamfara, 42.6%, Jigawa, 35.9%, Kaduna, 30.3% and Katsina, 28.1%, (Ajaikaye, 2016).
The sample for the study comprises 315 top management staff which are selected through the Research Advisor (2006) at 95% confidence level of 5.0% margin of error to determine the sample size of 306. However, the sample for the study comprises 315 top management staff (which include 16 top management staff from SUBEB and 20 from TESCOM, 20 directors and 20 supervisors from the States ministry of education, 27 registrars from the 27 tertiary institutions in the selected states, 84 bank management staff across all the selected banks in the selected states, 64 top management staff from commerce and industry and 64 from different organizations in science and technology industry.
The sampling techniques used to select the sample for the study are random sampling technique and purposive sampling technique. Random sampling technique was used (through balloting) to select seven banks out of 25 banks in the North-west, Nigeria. Random sampling technique was also used to select four different organisations out of nine in commerce and industry. As well, random sampling technique was used to select four organisations out of eight in science and technology industry. Random sampling technique is used in this study in order to give a fair and equal chance to various organisations to be selected for the study.
