CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Government as a subject like all other
subjects in secondary schools occupies a pivotal and crucial place in the
curriculum. As a subject in secondary schools, it is needful because it
educates the students/learners on what, who, how and why a state/country needs
a machinery to administer it. It is a subject that focuses on the study of a
group of people as institutions running the affairs of the state. Dibie (2004)
The study of Government as a subject is
premise on the need for citizens to be educated on why a state needs ‘control
machinery’, how justices are administered, the rights of citizens and how they
are enforced. The processes and procedures of policies and ideological
formulations and how it affects the total developments of state make it of high
necessity and essence that Government be entrenched in the curriculum as a
field of study. This explains why the term Government becomes a subject and a
course in schools and higher institutions.
Government
as a subject is targeted at developing students’ cognitive, affective and
psychomotor potentials. The teaching of
it in schools will enable the youths to take an active part to contribute to
the development of democratic culture and principles of the nation. Again, the
learners of Government could be made to cultivate the culture of productivity
towards political attitude in Nigeria.
Past and present scholars have devoted
much time to the study of Government and Politics. The products and outcomes of
their research work can best be described as different strokes for different
folks. We shall, therefore begin our study on Government by attempting to answering,
‘what Government is’?
According to Dibie (2004) the term Government
can be referred to as activities, institutions and persons. The term refers to the
activities of those who make decisions on behalf of an organized society. The
term Government may again refer to a subject found on the curriculum of most
schools and colleges. It can also be viewed as a group of organized people who
control and coordinate the affairs of the state. That is why the people can say
for instance, the ‘Government’ as has not approved the ‘Child Maternal Acts’ or
the Policy of the Government on the ‘Labour Force’ is harsh.
The Government
and Politics involve, among other things, the exercise of power and authority,
the process of decision-making, and the settling of disagreement between
competing groups, classes and individuals in a society. Disagreement or
conflict is always present in human organizations. Whenever men undertake a
task, conflict arises over what to do and how to do it. Conflict can take the
form of disagreement in words or physical fighting. At its simplest, therefore,
politics takes place whenever conflict exists about goals (e.g improvement in
education) and the method of achieving those goals. The process of solving
conflicts in public life is a political process.
In order to resolve conflicts and avoid
disordered societies, all human groups organize themselves into political
systems or states by which control is exercised over the individual members or
sub-groups of the society. Such political system has laws, Government
institutions and constitutions which ensure that society survives. There are
some people whose responsibility is to govern and make decision which control
the lives of everyone in society. This body of rulers, known as ‘the Government’
has superior power or sovereignty over the other members of society. The most
important responsibility of the Government of a state is to maintain law and
order and to ensure justice and happiness among the people of the state.
It is
aptly needed to acknowledge that for all the afore- discussed to be achieved,
certain resources, materials and machineries will have to be put under various
complimentary processes and procedures in order to pave way for a favourable
learning outcome. In the case of the topic under discussion here, the use of
instructional materials will be given high considerations.
Education according to Combs (1998)
consists of two components. He classified these two components into inputs and
outputs. According to him, inputs consist of human and material resources and
outputs are the goals and outcomes of the educational processes. Both the
inputs and outputs form a dynamic organic whole and if one wants to investigate
and assess the educational system in order to improve its performance, effects
of one component on the other must be examined.
Instructional materials or resources
which are educational inputs are of vital importance to teaching of any subject
in the school curriculum. Wale (2001)
was of the opinion that the use of instructional materials would make
discovered facts glued firmly to the memory of students. Savoury (1990) also
added that a well-planned and imaginative use of visual aids in lesson should
do much to banish apathy, supplement, inadequate of books as well as arouse
students’ by giving them to think things out themselves.
Savoury (1990) suggested a catalogue
of useful aid that are good for teaching Government i.e. pictures, post cards,
diagram, maps, filmstrips and model. Savoury argued that a selection of
materials which are related to the basic contents of a course or a lesson helps
the student to understand the lesson in depth as it becomes more attractive; thereby
arresting their attention thus, motivates them to learn. He suggested a catalogue
of aids which could be used to teach Government. He advocated the use of
pictures which help students in grounding their thoughts and feeling. He noted
that pictures are used as alternatives to real object where it is impossible to
show the students the real objects and they do serve effectively in imagined
activities.
In the Nigerian National Policy on Education (1981)
which was further consolidated in the 2004 edition, it was advocated that
schools should be properly equipped in uniformity to promote sound and
effective teaching. To raise the quality, efficiency and productivity of
education, better learning materials are required. Knezewish (2001) also stressed
the importance of having appropriate personnel plan and create physical
facilities to support educational effort.
Wilson
(2003) defined instructional materials as anything which is read, listened to,
manipulated, observed or experienced by the students as parts of the
instructional process. Instructional materials include, but are not limited to,
textbooks, teacher manual, apparatus, media collections, resources persons,
museum etc.
Yusuf (2009) postulated a catalogue of useful
visual aids (materials) that are good for teaching Government i.e. pictures,
post cards, diagrams, maps, filmstrips, motion pictures, slides and models. He
further said that the selection of materials which are related to the basic
contents of a course or a lesson helps ensure an in-depth understanding of such
lesson by the student
in
that it makes the lesson attractive to them, thereby arresting their attention
and thus motivating them to learn.
Yusuf
(2004) recommends that, well constructed motion pictures, filmstrips and slides
can be used to affect affective domain of learning, as they can reach a
person’s will and feeling. Thus, emotion can be affected, attitudes formed and
behavior modified.
Statement of the Problem
There
has been a lingering concern on the problems confronting the teaching and
learning of Government in Nigerian secondary schools. The available studies
have identified problems like lack of effective teaching of Government,
shortage of qualified teachers, inadequate resources etc. Ibitoye (2013) in
like manner, attempted a research into the influence of instructional resources
i.e. how they determine the level of academic performance of the students.
Adegbite, etal (2009) looked into the relevance and role of instructional
materials played in the process of instruction. These researchers have
investigated the influence, role and relevance of instructional on academic
performance but none of these studies have addressed and sought to find out the
availability and level of use of instructional materials in teaching Government
in Ilorin Metropolis.
This
research therefore has been carefully chosen to fill the gap identified from
the previous researches by making findings on whether instructional materials are
available, suitable and to what extent they are being put to use in teaching.
Again, the research will help to proffer workable solutions on how to integrate
instructional materials into the classroom setting.
Hence, the researcher in this study was
interested in finding the availability and level of use of instructional
materials in teaching Government in Senior Secondary School in Ilorin Metropolis. The reason for the use of Government as a
subject is that it serves as the hallmark of the nation’s overall developments
which targets the students’ cognitive, affective and psychomotor learning
domain.
Purpose of the Study
This study was designed to investigate and evaluate
the availability and level of use (utilization) of instructional materials in
secondary schools in Ilorin Metropolis. Thus, it was intended to specifically
examine:
1- The
availability of Instructional Materials.
2- The
level of use of Instructional Materials.
3- The impact of Instructional Materials on
academic performance of students in Government.
4- The
impact of Instructional Materials on academic performance of students based on
teacher’s experience.
5- Challenges
confronting the teaching and learning of Government in secondary schools in
Ilorin Metropolis.
Research Questions
In
an attempt to infer into the research problems, the under listed questions were
postulated to guide the researcher in this research work.
1- What
is the level of availability of Instructional Materials in teaching and learning
Government?
2- To
what extent are the Instructional Materials being used in teaching Government?
3- Is
there any relationship between the use of instructional materials and students
academic performance in Government?
4- Is
there any relationship between the use of instructional materials and students
academic performance in Government based on teachers experience?
5- What
are the constraints teachers of Government encounter in their usage of Instructional
Materials?
Hypothesis Questions
Ho1 There is no significant
relationship between the use of instructional materials and students academic
performance in Government.
Ho2 There
is no significant relationship between the use of instructional materials and
student’s academic performance in Government based on teachers’ experience.
Scope of the Study
This
study examined the availability and level of use of instructional materials in
teaching Government in Ilorin Metropolis. The population of this study consists
of all senior secondary schools in Ilorin. The target population consist of five
(5) senior secondary schools within Ilorin metropolis and the sample for the
study was 100 (One Hundred) SS I and II students. The researcher used a Simple Random
Sampling Technique. Descriptive statistics (Mean, Frequency count and Percentage)
was used to answer the research questions while the hypotheses were tested
using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Chi square statistics at
0.05level of significance.
Significance of the Study
The importance and relevance of
instructional materials in teaching cannot be overemphasized in education. As a
result, this study identified the availability and level of use (utilization)
of instructional materials in the teaching of Government as a subject and to shed
light on their suitability and how they can be integrated in instructional
process. The findings of this study would be relevant to:
Classroom teachers most especially will find
this piece of research helpful in their day to day instructional activities.
The habit of integrating suitable and relevant instructional materials in the
process of instructions will be held in high esteem. It investigates the
problems encountered by the students and the teachers as a result of either
unavailability or inadequacy of instructional materials in the teaching and
learning process of Government and proffer workable solutions.
Policy makers such as Curriculum planners,
Ministry officials, and Educational administrators especially the National
Educational, Research and Development council may be informed from this work about
the quantity and quality of available instructional and learning materials in
the selected schools within Ilorin metropolis as the findings from this study
may reveal. Such information may help to
show the need or otherwise for certain materials to be provided in schools and
outside school environment.
Furthermore, this study may also be
beneficial to researchers (professionals and trainee) who may endeavor to
undertake related studies could find this literary edifice a reference or guide
thus, may infer into it for information of worth.
Textbooks writers may also find the
information available in them helpful for further research attempt. Since, this
piece will be a library resource, it may be consulted for knowledge purpose.
The society may also be a benefactor of this
study. This is so because when instructional materials are properly integrated
into the process of instruction, it will help the students to better visualize,
memorize and assimilate. As a result of this, students will be better taught to
preserve the norms and value system of the society, making themselves of good
conduct and character than otherwise. This of course on the long run will go a
long way in reducing crime, miscreants and insurgency. This supports the
popular Chinese adage ‘what I hear, I forget, what I see, I remember”
Operational Definition of Terms
The
terms considered important for the study were defined as follows:
1- Availability:
In this study, availability is the condition of gaining easy access to and
obtaining without much stress or procedure.
2- Usability/Utilization:
In this study, utilization refers to the extent at which teaching and learning materials
are made use of or practical/effective use of materials in instructional
process. For the purpose of flexibility, utilization will also be used
interchangeably with usability.
3- Instructional Materials:
In this study, instructional materials are both human and non-human, i.e.
material and non material materials within the immediate and large environment
of the school that would affect the students’ behavior in the area of
cognitive, affective and psychomotor.
4- Government:
In this study, ‘Government’ refers to a ‘subject’ of instruction in the Senior
Secondary School curriculum.
5- Senior Secondary School:
Senior Secondary School (SSS) in this study refers to a school stage after the
Junior Secondary School (JSS) preceding the higher institution of learning.
6- Ilorin Metropolis: The capital city of
kwara state, in the North-Central zone of Nigeria. Ilorin Metropolis in this
study in other words is the metropolitan centre of the town.
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