Integrated Science Education: A Veritable Tool for Power and Employment Skills Acquisition for Changing Communities

Abstract

Rapid technological, economic, and environmental change in Nigerian communities has intensified demand for graduates who combine sound scientific understanding with transferable power skills and job-ready competencies. This study examined the extent to which integrated science education predicts power skills and employment skills acquisition among final-year pre-service Integrated Science teachers in Enugu State, Nigeria. Anchored on Human Capital Theory and Experiential Learning Theory, the study adopted a correlational survey design. A proportionate stratified random sample of 324 students was drawn from a population of 1,240 across three public teacher-education institutions, and 302 usable questionnaires (93.2%) were analysed. The 34-item Integrated Science Education and Skills Acquisition Questionnaire measured five constructs, all of which showed adequate reliability and validity (Cronbach’s α = .86–.93; composite reliability = .86–.93; average variance extracted = .55–.61). Hierarchical multiple regression showed that curriculum relevance and inquiry-practical instruction jointly explained 27% of additional variance in power skills beyond demographic controls, ΔR² = .27, F(2, 295) = 56.39, p < .001, f² = .38, and 20% of additional variance in employment skills, ΔR² = .20, F(2, 295) = 37.73, p < .001, f² = .26. Inquiry-practical instruction was the stronger predictor in both models. A bootstrapped mediation analysis (5,000 resamples) showed that power skills partially mediated the effect of integrated science education on employment skills, ab = 0.185, 95% CI [0.110, 0.270], accounting for 33.5% of the total effect. Inquiry-practical instruction was the only construct rated below the criterion mean (M = 2.47). The study recommends deliberate expansion of hands-on, community-anchored practical work in Integrated Science programmes.