CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Teaching is a process of assisting a learner to acquire knowledge and skills or experiences that could foster effectiveness in the later age. Thus, once a child learns what he has been taught teaching is said to have taken place. During the teaching/learning process, the teacher has to adopt a particular method or methods to impact knowledge to the learners coupled with useful materials that could help a learner to learn. The careful selection and orderly arrangement of the various elements of the curriculum materials and the various ways or the general pattern of approach in which they are introduced to the learner constitutes the instructional process.
The idea of adopting and using materials and equipments to enhance effectiveness in the instructional process is as old as mankind. The wise teacher will always use equipments or aids in form of instructional materials and instructional methods to help the learners understand and learn better. This, he does alongside an appropriate method of instruction. Udeh (1994) as cited in Olumba (2007), emphasized that, the Greek mathematics had diagrams drawn on sand and Jesus Christ who was one of the greatest teacher made continued use of materials and illustrations during the course of his teachings. He added that, his special reference was to what they could see, touch, manipulated etc to drive home his message.
Ukwueze (2003) cited that, the use of instructional materials and instructional methods and methods is still being practical in our traditional society. This, he cited that traditional mothers not only teach their daughters the methods of cooking food but also the ingredients (materials to be used in cooking activity and teaching an enterprising venture, Awonji (1998) affirms that, the use of instructional materials and instructional methods and good strategies in teaching and learning environment is very important as they make lesson experiences more concrete and realistic in learners. He added that, if instructional materials and instructional methods and effective methods were used in our traditional society to aid teaching and learning especially social studies, then one can deduced that our present form and provisions of education which instructional materials and instructional methods are almost an abstract subject.
Most often teaching especially in social studies is done with inadequate instructional materials and instructional methods which will result in learners not understanding the lessons taught and if the lesson is not understood, it leads to a qualitative failure in examination. From the above, one can gather that, the use of instructional materials and instructional methods coupled with adequate and effective methods in the teaching of social studies in the learning situation is very crucial.
Ike (2002) referred that, instructional materials and instructional methods are device which present a complete body of information and are largely self supporting rather than supplementary in teaching or learning process. They are information carrying technologies that are used for instructional purpose with the hope of delivering educational information very quickly and very vividly too. These instructional materials and instructional methods / media. This implies that, makers of instructional materials and instructional methods should make sure. That they are prepared in a way that they will be real and meaningful to learners. It is also important to note that though instructional materials and instructional methods can be good and self supporting, it still requires skilled and knowledge teachers to use them to make teaching / learning more effective to the learners and creates clearer conditions for conceptual thinking among learners.
Ikwuzom (2001) opined that instructional materials and instructional methods and methods enables the teacher to widen the experiences of his students. This is done by exposing the students into a variety of experiences that would enable them see things that exist outside their immediate environment. With the use of films for instance, students see far communities and settlements and how people lie there. Thus, when students see things they could not have seen without instructional materials and instructional methods, their experiences will be broaden and depend.
Social studies on its own is very rich in instructional materials and instructional methods and methods for its effectiveness. This is true because the whole environment of man with all the things in it constitute the laboratory for social studies. The dynamic nature of social studies education makes it paramount for the teachers of social studies to use instructional materials and instructional methods to enable the students quickly relate their classroom to the environment they live in and interact.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The act of teaching is fundamentally concerned with passing ideas, skills and attitude from the teacher to the learner. In Nigeria, for example experience has shown that spoken words alone in the communication of ideas are grossly ineffective and inefficient in producing desired learning outcomes. Every year, when the results of public examination are released, there has always been mass failure in Social studies. The reason for this could be ascribed to the fact that there are topics in Social studies that pose serious problem of comprehension to students. These topics cannot be taught effectively without the use of relevant instructional materials and instructional methods to make the learning practical. On the foregoing, scholars like Mutebi and Matora (1994) have emphasized the effect of instructional materials and instructional methodsutilisation on teaching and learning. According to them, we learn and remember 10% of what we hear, 40% of what we discuss with others and as high as 80% of what we experience directly or practice. However, the questions here are: does the use of instructional materials and instructional methods really influence students’ academic performance? Is teaching effectiveness enhanced by the use of instructional materials and instructional methods?
Could students’ learning be advanced by the use of instructional materials and instructional methods? Finding answers to these questions and more summarizes the entire problem of this study.
1.3 OBJECTIES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of this study are:
i. To examine the influence of instructional material utilisation on the teaching of Social studies in secondary schools in Cross River State;
ii. To ascertain the extent to which Senior Secondary School student’s learning of Social studies can be influenced by the use of instructional materials and instructional methods
iii. To determine whether there will be any difference in the academic performance of secondary schools students in Social studies due to the use of instructional materials and instructional methods.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
In order to achieve the objectives of this study, the following research questions were raised to guide the investigation:
i. Will the use of instructional materials and instructional methods influence the teaching and application of Social studies in secondary schools?
ii. To what extent can senior secondary school students’ learning of Social studiesbe influenced by the use of instructional materials and instructional methods?
iii. Will there be any difference in the academic performance of senior secondary school students in Social studies due to the use of instructional materials and instructional methods?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The following null hypotheses were stated for the study.
i. The use of instructional materials and instructional methods will not have significant influence on the teaching of Social studies in secondary schools.
ii. The use of instructional material will not have significant influence on secondary school students’ learning of Social studies.
iii. There will be no significant difference in the performance of students in Social studies due to the use of instructional materials and instructional methods.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The use of instructional materials and instructional methods gives the learner opportunity to touch, smell or taste objects in the teaching and learning process. Consequently, knowledge passed unto the students at different levels of educational instructions should be well planned and properly allied with relevant instructional materials and instructional methods for clarity and comprehensibility. Hence the significance of this study to the students, teachers, curriculum planners, educational system and the society at large.
To the students, the effective use of instructional materials and instructional methods would enable them to effectively learn and retain what they have learnt and thereby advancing their performance in the subject in question. This is because according to Nwadinigwe (2000), learning is a process through which knowledge, skills, habits, facts, ideas and principles are acquired, retained and utilized; and the only means of achieving this is through the use of instructional materials and instructional methods.
The study would help enhance teachers’ teaching effectiveness and productivity. This is in line with assertion of Ekwueme and Igwe (2001) who noted that it is only the teachers who will guarantee effective and adequate usage of instructional materials and instructional methods and thereby facilitate success. Consequently a teacher who makes use of appropriate instructional materials and instructional methods to supplement his teaching will help enhance students’ innovative and creative thinking as well as help them become plausibly spontaneous and enthusiastic. Oremeji (2002) supportively asserts that any teacher who takes advantage of these resources and learns to use them correctly will find that they make almost an incalculable contribution to instruction. He further says that instructional materials and instructional methods are of high value in importing information, clarifying difficult and abstract concepts, stimulating thought, sharpening observation, creating interest and satisfying individual difference.
The study is also significant to the educational system and society at large. This is because when teachers solidify their teaching with instructional materials and instructional methods and the learners learn effectively, the knowledge acquired will reflect in the society positively. Students will be able to understand the functioning of the economy, interpret government’s economic policies and activity and perform economically better in the choice of life and work.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study is focused on investigating the effect of instructional material utilisation on advancing senior secondary school students’ performance in Social studies in Cross River State. Due to time and financial constraints, the study is limited to Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River. This is because the researcher resides in this local government area and as such had the opportunity of having a comprehensive knowledge of the area and its environs. Besides, the study involves only the S.S-2 students of the Junior Secondary Schools in Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State.
1.8 LIMITATIONS OF STUDY
The only limitation faced by the researcher in the course of carrying out this study was the delay in getting data from the various respondents. Most respondents were reluctant in filling questionnaires administered to them due to their busy schedules and nature of their work. The researcher found it difficult to collect responses from the various respondents, and this almost hampered the success of this study.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
The relevant terms below were operationally defined relative to their usage in this study.
§ Effect: This is the change (outcome) that is brought about in a person (s) or something by another person (s) or thing; that is the way in which an event, action or person changes someone or something.
§ Academic performance: This is regarded as the display of knowledge attained or skills, shown in the school subjects such achievements are indicated by test scores or by marks assigned by teachers. It is the school evaluation of students’ classroom work as quantified on the basis of marks or grades.
§ Utilisation: The act of using something to achieve a purpose
§ Instructional Material: What the teacher uses to make the lesson more interesting and understandable.
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