A comparative analysis of higher education entrance examination: A case study of Chinese Gaokao and Nigeria WASSCE/UTME

Abstract

This study compared students and lecturers perspective of university entrance examination using the Chinese Gaokao and Nigeria WAEC/UTME education system as a case study. Five objectives with five research questions were generated for this study and a descriptive survey research design of the ex-post facto type were used to answer the research questions. Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used during the course of this study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select University of Ibadan in Nigeria and Beijing Normal University in China. A sample of 122 students and 27 lecturers in China and 100 students and 20 lecturers in Nigeria were used for the study. Descriptive statistics of frequency counts and simple percentage were used for the analysis of data. The findings from the study show that students’ perspective of Gaokao in China is extremely tense and nervous which is the major cause of failing the examination. The findings also revealed that lecturers’ perspective of Gaokao in China is that there should be another screening exercise for students after passing Gaokao. The findings equally indicated that students’ perspective of WAEC/UTME is that score obtained from UTME examination should be used for admission for more than one year. Nigeria lecturers’ perspective on WAEC/UTME is that the presence of Post-UTME screening exercise for students after passing UTME still remains the best. Similarly, the findings indicated that students and lecturers perspective of Gaokao and WAEC/UTME as university entrance examination in China and Nigeria respectively is that both examinations were tough and not easy to pass. While UTME requires PUTME before admission into Nigerian universities, Gaokao does not require additional exam before admission into Chinese universities. The study ended with recommending that Chinese government should embark on programmes that will reorient Chinese students on all examinations especially Gaokao. Students should see examinations as a test of knowledge and not a do or die affair to make them less nervous and reduce high rate of psychological disorder/disease. Nigerian government should allow scores obtained in the UTME to be used for admission for more than one year. This will reduce the high rate of students enrolling for the examination every year. Students and lecturers will also believe that UTME examination is not a mere extortion from the populace.

Keywords: Chinese, Nigeria, higher education system, Chinese Gaokao, Nigeria WAEC/UTME, lecturers and students perspective.

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