EXTENT OF THE AVAILABILITY AND USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING SOCIAL STUDIES IN ABA EDUCATION ZONE ABIA STATE

ABSTRACT

This study examined Extent of the Availability and use of Instructional Materials in Teaching and Learning Social Studies in Aba Education Zone, Abia State. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study determined the extentinstructional materials  are  available  for  teaching  and  learning  of  social studies, the extent instructional materials are available for teaching and learning social studies, the extent the available instructional materials are used for teaching of social studies and in what ways can instructional materials be provided and utilized in teaching and learning social studies. A total number of 8,475 Social Studies Teachers and JSS2 Social Studies Students were selected for the study through simple random sampling technique in the nine local government education authorities  (LGEA)  in  the  education zone.  Four  research  questions  and  Four hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. Instrument for data collection was questionnaire developed by the researcher titled“Availability and Use of Instructional Material in Teaching and Learning Questionnaire” (AUIMTLQ) which contain 87  items. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation (SD) while t-test statistic was used in testing the 4 null   hypotheses  at   0.05   level   of  significance.  The   findings  showed  that instructional materials are not sufficiently supplied for teaching and learning of social studies. Also in most cases, teachers do not  make use of the available instructional materials  in teaching their  lessons. Based on the  findings of the research, it was recommended that instructional materials must be provided and utilized by executors of educational polices in order to achieve the set educational objective of social studies.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Instructional materials are vital tools and instruments which must be adopted for effective teaching and learning of social studies in schools. According to Hall (2006), instructional materials are kinds of tools or equipment which can help an instructor effectively in theory or practical classroom teaching and learning processes. According to the author, instructional materials help in concretizing abstract concepts, and help learners understand with ease the objectives of lessons.

Instructional materials generally makes teaching and learning processes easier, and helps to present learning objectives to pupils and students in a more meaningful and practical form. According to Osaigbovo (2007), instructional materials are those objects which promote the effectives of instruction and help the teacher to communicate more effectively. Osaigbovo emphasis here is that instructional materials help instructors to deliver their lessons effectively, while on the other hand help learners through the sense of sight and tough in understanding lesson objectives.

Instructional materials  serve  as  an  aid  both  in  arousing  the  interest  of learners to learn, and in keeping them attentive all through the teaching period. According to National Open University Commission (NOUC) (2010), instructional

materials are tools used by teachers to help learners improve observation skill, critical things, and communicator to  reinforce skill,  fact or  idea and to  make leaving interesting. According to NOUC, instructional materials are designed to facilitate teaching and learning objectives very quickly and widely to the target group. To be able to effect the desired change in behaviour in learns which must be through learners’ active and meaningful participation, the teacher should use a number  of  devices  to  enhance  his  teaching.  Learners  on  the  other  hand  are expected also to use a number of devices for successful and maximal achievement of the objectives of the teacher. These devices are known as instructional materials.

There has been a trend towards the use of instructional materials over the years in teaching and learning processes. Ema and Ajayi (2004) stated that instructional materials have changed over the years all with the aim of making teaching and learning more appealing to both teachers and learners. Instructional materials have been various defined as it have been stated by some authors above. It must be stated to satisfy specific purpose. Therefore, for the purpose of this study, instructional materials refers to materials or resources such as charts, slides television, computers, newspapers, flip charts, graphs, films among others which help to facilitate the achievement and attainment of educational goals.

There  are  different  types  of  instructional  materials  that  can  assist  the teachers in the delivery of social studies lesson. Yusuf (1999) listed these materials

as including chalkboards, charts, graphs, diagrams, exhibits, flannel boards, flat pictures, photographs, prints, maps, models, motion pictures, objects, specimens and textbooks. Others include farm tools and equipment, excursion or field trips and demonstrations. Instructional materials in social studies comprise simple and common objects,  print  and  non-print  materials  and  other  tools  which can  be utilized in the teaching and learning process to ensure effective transmission of knowledge and skills.

The  classification of  instructional materials  is  carried  out  according to specific areas of appeal (Ukoha, 1996). The different classes include: Audio-aids which appeal only to the sense of hearing. They include radio, cassette players, head phones and public address systems; Visual aids which appeal to the sense of sight. They include pictures, models, specimens, tools, charts, posters, photographs and periodicals; the Audio-visual aids appeal to both the senses of hearing and sight at  the same time.  They include television, video films,  motion pictures, documentary films, recorded programmes and demonstrations they all aid in achieving and teaching and learning objectives.

Learning takes place in a formal and informal environment. It could be seen as the process through which certain behavioural changes are integrated in the learner. Offorma (1994) defined learning as the process through which behaviour is initiated, modified and changed. According to Onwuka (1996), learning is the

permanent acquisition and habitual utilization of newly acquired knowledge or experience. Hoy and Miskel (2008) see learning as something that happens when experience produces a stable change in someone’s knowledge or behaviour. In this context, learning means the ability of the student to understand the lesson taught by the teacher with the use of instructional materials.

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) (1994) lends credence to this definition by adding that social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Social studies focuses on people’s  relationships with their  social,  physical,  spiritual,  cultural,  economic, political, and technological environment. Social studies have also been stressed as an inter-disciplinary field in which man learns about problems of survival in his environment (Adarelegbe, 1980). In this context, social studies refer to a subject taught in the junior secondary schools with the use of instructional materials.

The use of instructional material in the facilitation of teaching and learning of social studies is  very crucial. Bolick, Berson, Coutts, and Heinecke (2003) asserted that there exists a good relationship between the teachings of the social studies and the use of instructional materials. He further stressed that some educators  have  been  fascinated  by  the  potentials  of  instructional materials  in enhancing teaching and learning. He lamented that some teachers lagged behind in using instructional materials during teaching and learning. Nevertheless, others

expressed doubts that instructional materials are integral components of teaching- learning situations. In fact, the use of instructional material in teaching social studies it is  not just to supplement learning but to complement its process. It therefore follows that if there must be effective teaching and learning activity, utilization of instructional materials will be relevant.

However, utilization of instructional materials aids learning one of the recurring issue in teaching and learning social studies may be, the non-use of instructional materials in the teaching and learning of the subject. According to Ekong (1999) students seem to learn better from those practical experiences which the instructional material expose them to, especially in learning social studies. Social studies is a core and integrated curriculum. This means that without the use of instructional materials in teaching social studies, the goals and objectives of that subject may not be achieved. Active learning in social studies involves providing opportunities for students to take part meaningfully by talking, listening, writing, reading and reflecting on the contents taught. Unfortunately, many social studies lessons continue to be dominated by only the use of chalkboard and textbooks (Jimoh, 2009). This dominance prevents teachers from making the lesson student- centered. Furthermore, it forces the teacher to cater for those students who find the texts accessible. This may create barriers for those who do not use textbooks for the acquisition of new knowledge. Although, some students are able to access the

text,  there  are  certain  learning  contents  that  require  instructional materials  if available.

Students may perform better if instructional materials are available. Onyejemezi (2002)  opined  that,  if  social studies  is  to  be  learned  effectively, instructional materials must not only be available but  must be utilized. Social studies is so close to the life of every child in the society that no teacher need to teach without instructional materials. Inadequate supply of instructional materials has been one of the greatest challenges in the use of instructional materials. The teaching of social studies with regard to its scope and nature is multidimensional, integrative and  dynamic, and  cannot be  effectively taught  without the  use  of instructional materials.

Nevertheless, the availability and use of instructional materials in teaching and learning social studies is important on one hand and the suitability of the selected materials by the teacher on the other hand. Orakwe (2000: 102) opined that:

Social studies  classroom teaching without  any  use  of teaching aid is not worth consideration at all. Because, the primary need of social studies teacher has to affect positive behavioural changes with minimal efforts that would  have  been  a  sweating  efforts  that  would  have aided in increasing pupils boredom now turns out a very interesting and successful lesson.

In the same vein, Emma and Ajayi (2004) viewed suitable instructional materials as an act of giving helps normally by teachers to provide help and encouragement in students or pupils learning activities. Emma and Ajayi went further in asserting that suitable instructional materials are the back bone of the whole  range  of  classroom communication that  expedites  learning through the various senses. One of the aims of using suitable instructional materials in teaching social studies is to achieve excellent result. The teacher should possess the ability and intelligence to encourage his students to acquire both the cognitive and technical skills through the use of instructional materials in teaching. It can therefore be added that the professional background of the teacher sharpens and places him/her in a position to effectively utilize instructional materials in the teaching and learning process. This will make for effective teaching of social studies in secondary schools, thereby achieving goals of instruction.

Instructional materials help to correct wrong impressions in social studies concepts in the learners and aid the teacher to instruct effectively with less stress. Based on the foregoing, the researcher is interested in finding out the extent of the availability and use of instructional materials (IM) in teaching and learning of social studies in JSS II, in Aba Education Zone, Abia state.

Statement of the Problem

The usefulness of instructional materials for teaching and learning in school cannot be over emphasized. This is based on the fact that instructional materials help   in   the   simplification  and   clarification  of  concepts  discussed   in  the instructional process. Instructional materials also assist in fascinating the interest of students so that they could give their full attention to the lesson. Considering the importance of  instructional materials,  it  is  therefore  necessary for  teachers  to utilize it  in their day-to-day interaction with the students, so as to arouse the interest of the students while learning the subject.

Social  studies  has  been  a  core  subject  in  the  junior  secondary school curriculum which ought to be taught with the use of instructional materials, in order to make the students to be aware of the necessity of having a good interpersonal relationship within their environments and in the world around them. Students of social studies in Aba Education zone, Abia State are expected to find the subject interesting, this could sometimes be expressed in their performance in the subject and in their relationship with man and the physical environment, but sometimes, this could not be achieved by the students. This could be attributed to teachers’ non use of instructional materials due to their non-availability, inability of the teachers to use the available materials and sometimes inability of school authorities and government to provide these materials to the school. The problem

of this study therefore, is: what is the extent to which instructional materials are made available and utilized in teaching and learning of social studies in JSSII in Aba Education zone of Abia state.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study was to determine the extent of the availability and use of instructional materials in teaching and learning social studies in Aba Education Zone of Abia State. Specifically, the purpose of the study was to:

1.  Examine  whether  instructional  materials  in  teaching  of  social  studies  is available

2.  Determine the extent of availability of instructional materials for teaching and learning social studies.

3.  Determine the extent to which available instructional materials for teaching of social studies are used.

4.  Suggest  ways  instructional  materials  could  be  provided  and  utilized  in teaching and learning social studies.

Significance of the study

The findings of this study have both theoretical and practical significance to students, teachers, education planners, school authorize and the government.

The theoretical significance was on the students since the topic of this study is on the extent of the availability and use of instructional materialism teaching and

learning social studies. The theoretical significance willCentre on the studies since the study will help teachers in adopting appropriate instructional materials when teaching various topics in social studies as to help students in quick grasp of intended education objectives.

The practical significance will be of immense benefit to teachers because they will realize the adopting appropriate instructional materials in the delivery of their teaching to facilitate comprehension of topics taught by learners. Also, school authorities will find this study useful because it will enlighten them on the need to be organizing seminars, conferences and workshops for serving teachers on the importance of using instructional materials in delivery of their lessons.

Educational planners on the other hand will find this study useful because it will help them design education curriculum that will ensure appropriateness of instructional materials suitable for various topics in social studies. While government on the other hand will ensure the availability of instructional materials by  providing the  finance  needed the  purchase  of  these  instructional materials having seen the importance of instructional materials in the teaching and learning processes.

Scope of the Study

The study was conducted in JSS in Aba Education Zone, Abia State. It will identify the various instructional materials available, assess their adequacy and extent of utilization by teachers in secondary schools and measures for improving both provision and utilization of instructional materials for teaching and learning social studies. It was concerned with only JSS II students in public secondary in Aba Education Zone, Abia State,to determine the availability and utilization of instructional materials for teaching and learning social studies in secondary schools in Aba Education Zone of Abia State.

Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1.  Are instructional materials available for teaching and learning of social studies?

2.  To what extent are instructional materials available for teaching and learning social studies?

3.  To what extent are the available instructional materials used for teaching of social studies?

4.  What ways can instructional materials be provided and utilized in teaching and learning social studies.

Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses was tested 0.05 of significance

i.     There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of teachers and students on the extent to which instructional materials are available for teaching and learning social studies.

ii.     There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of teachers and students on the  extent to  which social studies teachers  utilize instructional materials in Aba Education Zone.

iii    There is no significant difference in the mean ratings of teachers and students performance in urban areas on the extent of utilization of instructional materials in teaching and learning social studies in Aba education zone.

iv  There  is no significant difference in the mean ratings of teachers and students performance in rural areas on the extent of utilization of instructional materials in teaching and learning social studies in Aba education zone.

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