An Analysis of the Availability of Instructional Materials in Teaching Social Studies
Abstract
This study was on an analysis of the availability of instructional materials in teaching social studies. Three objectives were raised which included: To determine teachers’ perception of the extent of availability of instructional materials for teaching and learning of social studies in secondary schools and to determine teachers’ perception of the extent of utilization of instructional materials for teaching and learning of social studies in secondary school. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from selected secondary schools in Ibadan. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).
Chapter one
Introduction
Background of the study
In recent times, there has been an increasing concern for effectiveness and efficiency in the learning process. Anwukah (2000) opined that if any success must be achieved in attaining the educational objectives, the teacher must know the instructional materials that are available for teaching a particular subject and be able to utilize them. Onyemerekeya (2003) defined educational objectives as statements which describe in a relatively specific manner, what a student should be able to do, produce or the characteristics the student should possess after completing the unit or a course of instruction. The classroom teacher must recognize that his task is not merely to teach but to stimulate learning. Teaching therefore is a process of guiding and directing the activities of the students in order to produce learning. In effect, the instructional procedure that will produce the desired learning must be adopted. Onyemerekeya (2003) stated that instructional
procedure is the main body of the lesson where detail of the content is recorded. It provides in steps, the details of what is to be taught. It explains what the teacher should do and the activities of the students. At the appropriate stage of the development of the lesson, allowances are made for the use of relevant instructional materials. According to Eya and Igbokwe (1999), no matter how good a teacher may be judged to be, he needs some resources to aid him in his teaching.. Onyejemezi (1988) defined instructional materials as resources or teaching materials, which a teacher utilizes in the course of presenting a lesson in order to make the content of the lesson understandable to the learner. This implies that the use of instructional materials is inevitable if effective teaching and learning must be achieved
When instructional materials are properly selected and used, they help to consolidate learning in the learner’s mind and help him recall things that would have been easily forgotten. The use of instructional materials therefore, becomes very crucial in improving the overall quality of the learning experiences of students. Many educationists and government officials have made several comments on how to develop appropriate teaching learning materials in order to enhance educational programmes. For example, Eya and Onuora (2004) opined that the educational programme currently in operation must have as part of its curriculum, designing and production of learning and instructional materials to make teaching and learning easy and interesting. Effective utilization of instructional materials will make the learners employ most of their senses so as to make learning easier and a worthy experience. Baribor (2003) noted that the use of instructional materials is to aid the teacher in his teaching and the learner in his learning. He further stressed the importance of instructional materials in learning to include, extending the range of experience available to learners; providing the teacher with interest-compelling springboards into a wide variety of learning activities, assisting the teacher in overcoming physical difficulties of presenting subject matter, helping to stimulate student’s interest, extend attention span and make for longer retention of what is learned; making it possible to cater for individual differences of learners, making teaching and learning easier and more effective as well as facilitating communication. The issue of effective communication in the classroom is very important. Since it is obvious that instructional materials can help to achieve effective communication which results in effective learning, it becomes necessary that the extent of its availability and utilization be ascertained.
Social Studies was introduced into Nigerian schools in the early 1960s. Ejimchukwu (2004) noted that the first serious attempt to develop social studies for Nigerian schools was in 1965 by the staff of Comprehensive High school Aiyetoro, in 1965. For this body, the development of this course was limited to Western Nigeria and it was restricted to junior secondary 1 and 2 of that school. It was from that school that the development of Social Studiesstarted in Nigeria. Emmanuel (2001) noted that presently, social studies occupies a pre-eminent place within the core subjects in the 6-3- 3-4 system of education in Nigeria. Okoro (1989) observed that since its inception, there has not been a generally accepted definition of the subject. It can be explained as the study of man and his environment. It inquires into the way man influences his social and physical environment. It deals with accumulated experiences drawn from its parent discipline which are; history, geography, religion, government, economics, psychology, sociology etc. It is a subject which tries to integrate all the above other subjects, since it studies everything about man in his environment. Ejimchukwu (2004) defined social studies as the study which deals with how man influences his environment and how his environment influences him. Owo (1995) defined social studies as the study of man in the society.
Statement of the problem
Social studies like other subjects, has a number of problems confronting it. Okoro (1989) listed such problems as those associated with suitability of the current secondary school social studies curriculum, teaching strategies, qualified personnel, the concept of social studies, instructional materials availability among other problems. He further noted that there is an acute dearth of appropriate textbooks for social studies in Nigeria. The status of textbooks then may have changed but similarly Ogunranti, Ihongbe, Babatunde, Akanbi and Egwim (1982) had noted earlier that the audio visual aids have been introduced, tried and used for instructional purposes in Nigeria and found to be required for classroom instruction. Upon this background, it becomes pertinent to carry out a review to determine how effectively this requirement has been fulfilled in secondary school after over twenty (20) years of its introduction for instructional purposes in Nigerian education system
Purpose of the study
The purpose of the study are;
- To determine teachers’ perception of the extent of availability of instructional materials for teaching and learning of social studies in secondary schools
- To determine teachers’ perception of the extent of utilization of instructional materials for teaching and learning of social studies in secondary school
Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses will be formulated;
H1: thereis no teachers’ perception of the extent of availability of instructional materials for teaching and learning of social studies in secondary schools
H2: there is no teachers’ perception of the extent of utilization of instructional materials for teaching and learning of social studies in secondary school
Significance of the study
The study will be of benefits to students, teachers and the ministry of education. The study will give a clear insight on the an analysis of the availability of instructional materials in teaching social studies. The findings will help education academia the important of instructional materials. The study will also serve as a referencve to other researcher that will embark on the related topic
Scope of the study
The scope of the study cvovers an analysis of the availability of instructional materials in teaching social studies. The study will be limited to selected secondary schools in Ibadan
Limitation of the study
In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents.
In addition, there was the element of researcher bias. Here, the researcher possessed some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was interpreted thereafter. The potential for all this to influence the findings and conclusions could not be downplayed.
More so, the findings of this study are limited to the sample population in the study area, hence they may not be suitable for use in comparison to other schools, local governments, states, and other countries in the world.
Definition of terms
Instructional materials: Instructional material, also known as teaching/learning materials (TLM), are any collection of materials including animate and inanimate objects and human and non-human resources that a teacher may use in teaching and learning situations to help achieve desired learning objectives
Social studies: a part of a school or college curriculum concerned with the study of social relationships and the functioning of society and usually made up of courses in history, government, economics, civics, sociology, geography, and anthropology
Teachcing: Teaching is the practice implemented by a teacher aimed at transmitting skills to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the context of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related to learning, the student’s activity of appropriating this knowledge.
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