Comparative impact of solid wood versus engineered wood products on practical skills development in woodwork technology education

The study ascertained how the adoption of engineered wood products over solid wood for practical lessons impact on practical skills outcome of woodwork technology students. The study adopted a mixed method research combining qualitative descriptive research and quasi-experimental design. Study participants included 148 woodwork students from 4 public universities in Southeast Nigeria. Data for the study was collected using lesson plans and psycho-productive multiple choice test (PMCT). IBM SPSS version 20 was employed for the analysis of hypotheses one, and four, while paired samples t-tests were utilised for hypotheses two and three. Findings revealed that there is a significant difference between the post-test scores of students trained with engineered wood products and those trained with solid wood. It revealed that students who underwent practical skill training with solid wood gained significant practical skill outcome than those trained with engineered wood products. Findings revealed that although engineered wood products like medium density fibreboard or plywood are cheaper and easier to work with; solid wood provides a more valuable learning environment for developing deep practical skills. Solid wood is better than engineered wood products for practical skills lessons because it provides more authentic experiences with woodworking, and offers superior durability and strength. Use of solid wood for practical lessons also teaches valuable skills in working with a natural material's unique properties like grain and potential flaws.