Availability And Utilization Of Instructional Materials In Teaching And Learning Of Economics In Secondary Schools In Owerri Municipal Council Of Imo State

ABSTRACT

The study investigated on the “Availability and Utilization of Instructional Materials in Teaching and Leaning of Economics in Secondary Schools In Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State”. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Six research questions were formulated to guide the study. The study was carried out in Owerri Municipal Council. Five secondary schools were randomly sampled for the study. The sample consisted of 10 Economics teachers and 140 Economics students which comprised of 150 respondents. The instrument for data collection was the researcher made questionnaire. The internal consistency of the instrument was determined to be 0.85 using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC) formula. Data were analyzed using simple percentage statistical technique. Results revealed that there are lack of adequate instructional materials in teaching and learning in our secondary schools and where present, they are not well equipped. It was recommended that secondary school teachers should be exposed to the use of constructivist teaching method in their teachings. Seminars and workshops would also be organized for the serving secondary Economics teachers so as to acquaint them with the constructivist teaching strategy.

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, the background of the study, statement of the problem, scope of study, purpose of the study, significance of the study, and research questions are presented.

 Background of the Study

Economics is one of the social science subjects that are taught in secondary school curriculum-irrespective of poor student performance in the subject. Students in this field see the study of economics as their greatest enemy. The question now is why have students developed a negative attitude towards the study of economics? One of the reasons for the above situation is that teachers have failed to realize the importance of instructional materials in the teaching of economics concepts. This concept include/choice, scarcity, wants and scale of preference (Hewsen, 2003). They   also   failed   to   realize   that Economics as a social subject needs a learning environment where students   can investigate   and explore indirect practical activities at their own rate. The students need to engage in critical research on issues like historical background and theories that guide economics concepts. (Ahmadu, 2007).

Teachers have also neglected the fact that students are likely to retain what they discovered on their own than what is taught them by the teachers. At present in Imo State, there is a high enrolment in secondary schools because of high demand in the teaching of economics. This research work would therefore follow the following critical steps in a bid to establish the importance of availability and utilization of instructional materials in teaching economics in secondary schools in Owerri Municipal, Imo State.

Obviously, teacher utilization will aid to improve students’ learning in the classroom. They are instruments used to transmit information, ideas and notes to learners. To Onajite and Aina (2014) utilization of instructional materials will improve both teaching and students’ learning towards achieving measurable objectives in business education. Some of the advantages of teachers’ utilization of instructional materials in teaching business studies as highlighted by Nzeneri (2010) includes that they enrich and enliven teaching. They stimulate students’ desire to learn. They assist the learning processes by making assimilation and memorization of materials easier. They help to hold students’ attention and also promote reality of experience which motivates self-learning among learners. Several studies like those of Abdu-Raheem (2011), Akinleye (2010), Obanya (2004), Ogbondah (2008) have been conducted by different researchers on the use of instructional materials to improve teaching and learning in the Nigerian school system, identifying that they were responsible for students’ poor academic performance in most internal and external examinations. These studies have their different findings and reports as to this effect. Teachers use a broad variety of instructional materials to achieve valued learning outcomes.

Teaching as an important task of the teachers should enable them to improve students’ learning by using various instructional materials in the classroom to teach business studies. More so, students are in school to learn and for instructors/teachers to share this goal means they should utilize instructional materials. From the situation of things and the observations by few researcher like Sale (2016) and Ahmed (2003) it seems as if the use of instructional materials in teaching business studies in the junior secondary schools have not been fully attainable owing to some challenges. Ahmed further attested that there is poor teachers’ utilization of instructional materials in most schools. This situation is not too far from what is being experienced in Delta State. Conversely, there are so many factors which determine appropriate utilization of instructional materials for teaching of business studies at the junior secondary schools (Saxena, 2014). The researcher’s observation in the area of study showcases a situation where many teachers complained about the difficulties in teaching business studies as regards to not getting hold of most of the printed and non-printed instructional materials for effective instructional delivery. It seems as if that many secondary schools in the Delta State cannot boast of having sufficient instructional materials when it comes to teaching of business studies. This situation seems to have been responsible for poor students’ academic performance and teachers’ ineffectiveness towards instructional delivery in the schools.

This situation has degenerated to other problems affecting teaching in various subject areas including business studies. Poor utilization of instructional materials in the classroom has negative effect on teacher efficiency in providing sound instructional delivery which has negative consequences on students’ academic performance, achievements and their dedication, interest and active participation towards learning. Whereby instructional materials for teaching are found wanting, learners become passive in learning and integrated learning will be difficult to achieve. For teachers utilization of instructional materials in teaching of business studies in the junior secondary schools, effective strategies should be adopted to improve the usage as observed from the studies of Eniayewu (2005), Enaigbe (2009) and Effiong and Igiri (2015). It is based on this background that the present conducted an investigation in order to find out teachers’ utilization of printed and non-printed instructional materials for effective teaching of business studies in junior secondary school in Delta State. Also, to determine the extent of this utilization and strategies to improve business studies teachers’ utilization of these instructional materials.

 Statement of the Problem

The neglect of these materials in teaching of economics has caused some problem. These include:

1. Lack of co-operation among students and their teachers are rampant, hence there is nothing like instructional material to join them at work.
2. Economics students lack the ability of self dependence, problem solving; discovery, task persistence critical and divergent thinking. This is because students rely on teacher’s verbal instruction which often proved ineffective and inefficient in the teaching and learning process.
3. Students try their best to avoid economics which they regard as difficult because economics possess those attributes of science like investigation, observing arranging, classification and interpretation empirical testing of the fact. The deductive and inductive methods of reasoning used to formulate laws and finally establishing principles, others are propositions generalization, theories and laws used for the analysis prediction and for casting of economics problems and
4. The classroom activities which would have been for the interaction of the learners and their Based on what they discover in private schools, the researcher are no longer conducive for learning.

Scope of the Study

It is the interest of the researcher to investigate on availability and utilization of instructional materials in teaching and learning in Owerri Municipal Council. Owerri Municipal Council is at the centre of Imo State and inside Owerri Municipal Council. There are nine (9) public secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council.

Furthermore, this research is carried out in Owerri Municipal Council, which is in Owerri, the capital of Imo State. Owerri is bound in the north by Anambra State, in the south by Rivers State and in the West and East by Delta State and Abia State respectively. Owerri people are referred to as literate population. The entirety of the population is seriously desirous of education.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the availability and utilization of instructional materials in the learning and teaching of Economics in secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State.

Specifically, the study sought to:

1. Determine the availability and utilization of instructional materials for teachers of Economics in secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State.
2. Ascertain the roles of instructional materials play in the learning and teaching of Economics in secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State.
3. Find out the extent to which instructional materials are used in classrooms by Economics teachers in the teaching and learning process.
4. Ascertain if teachers use available instructional materials to facilitate learning and teaching of Economics in secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State.
5. Ascertain if the availability and utilization of instructional in any way help or change the students running away from the study of Economics.
6. Ascertain if the teachers guide the students on how to make their own instructional materials.

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will be beneficial to students, teachers, parents, school administrators, government agencies, curriculum planners and future researchers. Significantly, the study will help the teacher to utilize the importance of instructional materials in teaching and learning of Economics and would try as much as possible to make use of them in Economics lessons.

Secondly, the findings will be given the students opportunity to practice, explore and share experience together which will be able to develop their skills, and the formation of attitudes opinions and values about what is observed in economies lesson.

Furthermore, the study will provide insight understanding for the government. It is the interest of the government to know that, the best ways of teaching economic is through the use of instructional materials, therefore they should make sure there are enough instructional materials in the schools and also making sure they monitor any teachers who fails to teach economic student without instructional materials.

Specifically, parents should find this study useful in providing the availability of instructional materials in the school parents who are looking forward to see their children progress in academic work, especially in economics will definitely see instructional materials as one of the sources through which goals will attained and will also help in providing textbooks for their children. Also, the findings of this study will enable parents develop strategies for promoting protective factors and reduce the risk factors that contribute to the poor academic achievement to their children through supportive relationship which can serve as a basis for strengthening parental involvement and for their children academic success.

The findings of this study will be useful to school administrators in order to create warm and supportive school climate and opportunities for all students.

Specifically, school administrators and educators should find useful in providing information targeted at schools that are at risk of failure. In addition, curriculum planners and government will find the study useful in order to develop effective efforts to enhancing students learning experience.

Finally, the findings of this study will serve as a source of reference to future scholars and researchers in the area who might intend to carry out a related topic in future. The findings of this study should also serve as empirical studies to future scholars and current researchers.

Research Questions

To guide the study, the following research questions were formulated;

1. Do teachers use available instructional materials to facilitate teaching and learning in Owerri Municipal Council?
2. What type of instructional materials do teachers use in teaching and learning economics?
3. Do the availability and utilization of instructional materials in any way help or change the students from running away from economics course?
4. How    can   these    instructional    materials    used facilitate learning?
5. What roles do the instructional materials play in the teaching and learning economics in Secondary Schools in Owerri Municipal Council?
6. Do teacher guide economics students on how to make their own instructional material?
   

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   Pages:  65

   Category: Project

   Format:  Word & PDF         

   Chapters: 1-5                                 

   Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.