EFFECTS OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN SOCIAL STUDIES ON STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS 

 

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the Study

Social studies is an integrated study of man in his social, economic, physical and technological environment in Nigeria. The content in junior secondary school is focused on citizenship education, politics, economy, geographic issues, socio-cultural events, science and technology. Social studies is a problem-solving oriented subject area which requires the use of diverse instructional pedagogies (and instructional materials) to instill appropriate values, critical thinking and the inculcation of various life long skills for sustainable survival in the nation and its surrounding communities (Mezieobi, 2012).

The nature of social studies as an activity based course, requires instructional materials to facilitate teaching. Students’ participation in learning and deep understanding of abstract concepts and events are heightened, simplified and made realistic to learners cognition. There is a positive correlation between utilization of instructional materials and student learning. Esu (1995) stated emphatically “without adequate development, and utilization of appropriate instructional materials, the achievement of laying sound basis for scientific and reflective thinking will be very hard to achieve”.  Therefore, the use of instructional materials in the teaching-learning process becomes necessary as facilitator for learning.

Academic performance of students in any school subject, including social studies is very crucial and should be measured entirely on the availability of instructional materials. Nevertheless, instructional materials have enormous contribution towards academic performance in any course of study and at any level of education. However, it is imperative to realize that good or bad academic performance in social studies in secondary schools which this study intends to investigate is not purely the function of instructional materials.

There are other performance measuring techniques in education, but the most important point of concern here is the fact that the success or failure in academic achievement depends among other factors, on intellectual endowments to of the students. How we develop this endowment to produce results in education, together with instructional materials is the real motive behind this study. The concern of this study is to investigate the relationship between instructional materials and social studies students academic performance in secondary schools.

 

1.2     Statement of Problems

There is a general professional laxity about the way teachers conduct the teaching learning situations. Today, teachers go to classrooms to teach without using instructional materials for their instruction due to lack of competence and expertise in social studies. Teachers who were originally trained on other subjects like Government, History, Geography or other social science are asked by their respective principals to go in and help the students since there are no teachers for such subjects. It could also be that the teachers of social studies lack the ability to select appropriate instructional materials that would promote effectiveness and efficiency in their teaching.

Many students are not quite serious with their academic work that is why they fail to perform well in their examination. Students tend to blame others for academic deficiency. They always like to shift blames to bad luck, poor teaching by their teachers, partiality in marking their scripts and even victimization. Apparently, these excuses are misplaced and external to individual students. Students resort to these shades of their mechanism because they fail to consider their academic ability and how to prioritize time schedule. This study, therefore, aims at investigating the use of textbooks, charts, realia, pictures and pictorial presentation on students’ academic performance in social studies in secondary schools.

 

1.3     Purpose of the Study

The study investigated effects of instructional materials in social studies on students’ academic performance in Junior Secondary schools in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area. Specifically the study aimed at the following objectives;

1. To determine the difference in the academic performance of students in social studies based on the teacher’s use of textbooks as instructional materials.
2. To assess the difference in the academic performance of students in social studies based on the teacher’s use of charts as instructional materials.
3. To ascertain the difference in the academic performance of students in social studies based on the teacher’s use of realia as instructional materials.
4. To investigate the difference in the academic performance of students in social studies based on the teacher’s use of pictures and pictorial presentation as instructional materials.

 

1.4     Significance of the Study

This work will in no small measure contribute to the volume of knowledge already in existence and be of exceptional benefit to the teachers since it would enable them to appreciate the importance of using instructional materials for effective teaching in the classroom. The finding will equally encourage teachers to adopt appropriate instructional facilities in teaching of social studies.  To educational administrators, the finding would be a guide to improving existing plans. The Federal and State Ministries of Education and Parents Teachers Association would be guided on the type of instructional facilities to provide for schools in order to improve student’s performance in social studies.

 

1.5     Research Questions

The research questions put forward for this study were as follows:

1. How does the academic performance of students in social studies differ based on the teacher’s use of textbooks as instructional materials?
2. To what extent does student’s academic performance in social studies differ based on the teacher’s use of charts?
3. How does academic performance of students in social studies differ based on the teacher’s use of realia?
4. What difference does the use of pictures and pictorial presentation make in student’s academic performance in social studies?

 

1.6     Hypotheses

The following research hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 of significance.

1. There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students in social studies based on the teacher’s use of textbooks as instructional materials.
2. There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students in social studies based on the teacher’s use of charts as instructional materials.
3. There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students in social studies based on the teacher’s use of realia as instructional materials.
4. There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students in social studies based on the teacher’s use of pictures and pictorial presentation as instructional material.

1.7     Basic Assumptions of the Study

In this research, the basic assumptions made about it are that:

1. There are observable features identified in realia as a form of instructional material.
2. All Junior Secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State implement the same social studies curriculum.
3. Evaluation instruments can be designed which will measure the Junior Secondary Students academic performance in social studies.
4. Subjects involved in this study will provide unbiased information regarding themselves as individuals.

The selected instructional materials (textbooks, charts, realia, pictures and pictorial presentation) do play roles in student’s academic performance in social studies.

 

1.8     Delimitation of the Study

This research work was delimited to the Junior secondary III students offering social studies in Ibesikpo/Asutan Local Government Area. The study was directed mainly at the utilization of instructional materials and academic performance on social studies based on textbooks, charts, realia, pictures and pictorial presentation.

 

1.9     Limitation of the Study

One of the limitations of the study was time factor. Another limitation of the study was in respect of the development and administration of the instrument as well as the collation of information from all schools which took many days. There are some vital information too which is needed from the respondents for this study but they would not willingly want to give based on their personal reasons.

 

1.10   Definition of Terms

Definition is often necessary for a proper understanding, because words usage and implied meaning vary based on users. The following terms used in the study are meant to be interpreted as follows:

•  Effects: This refers to a change that instructional materials causes on students academic performance.
• Instructional Materials: This refers to those materials used to concretize and facilitate teaching learning processes. They include textbooks, charts, realia, pictures and pictorial presentation.
• Performance Scores: This refers to the participant’s scores in social studies examination in 2017/2018 Junior Secondary III (JSS III) promotion examination set, standardized and marked by the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Education.

 

 

 

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