Experiential Approach Utilization and Implementation of State-of-the-art Business and Entrepreneurship Education for Skills Development among Graduating Students in Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State

This study investigated the relationship between experiential approach utilization and implementation of state-of-the-art business and entrepreneurship education for skills development among graduating students in tertiary institutions in Rivers State. Correlation research design using quantitative approach was adopted for this study. The population of the study was made up of 484 Business Education final year students during the 2024/2025 academic session in tertiary institutions offering undergraduate Business Education programme in Rivers State. The sample size for this study was made up of the entire population of 484 because it was a manageable size. A structured questionnaire with two parts was designed by the researcher for data collection. The instrument was subjected to face and content validation by three experts, two from Business Education department, and one in Measurement and Evaluation, all of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. Cronbach Alpha reliability was computed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 24.0 to obtain reliability index of 0.74 and 0.76 for the two parts of the instrument respectively. Out of the 484 copies of instrument administered, only 402 was properly filled and returned. This constitutes approximately 83% of the entire copies administered. Data collected were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses formulated at 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed very strong positive and significant relationship between experiential approach utilization and implementation of state-of-the-art business and entrepreneurship education for problem-solving skills, innovative skills and critical thinking skills development. Based on the findings of this study and conclusions drawn, it was recommended among others that Business education lecturers should continue to adopt and design more effective experiential learning activities capable of providing their students with opportunities to work on enhancing existing products or businesses in order to rebrand them and provide innovative solutions to meet current market needs.