AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHING METHODS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCES OF SECONDARY SCHOOL IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This project work was carried out in order to examine the effects of or the relationship between the teachers’s teaching method and the academic performance of students in Nigeria narrowing the study down to schools located within the Ovia north East Local Government Area of Edo State Nigeria. It intended to find out the method best for instruction in schools and how effective they might be and also attempting to proffer a solution to the increase in the level of failure of students in external exams. I started with the literature review that took it foundations from existing works by various scholars in the field of education in furtherance of the successful completion of this project, the writer ensured he did not miss to state and bring to limelight the methods used in collecting of data, one which is the use of questionnaire among selected students from selected secondary school for an efficient investigation of the problem, the researcher carefully draws up some questions so as to get students opinion on the matter of discourse. The data collected from the responses were analyzed and the course and probable solution of the problems discovered. The researcher made some recommendations which will help in ameliorating the shortcomings discovered.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

This project work is another contribution to the already existing and numerous done and those still under way into the study of the causes of low academic performance of secondary school students in this attempt of trying to discuss the relationship between teaching methods and the academic performance of secondary school students. The term “teaching methods” refers to the general pedagogy and management style used for classroom instruction. A teacher choice of teaching methods should not only be based on what fits/suits him or her but also putting into consideration the subject area, schools mission statement, class demography etc. academic performance on the other hand according to the Encyclopedia Britanica (2009) academic performance as an act or a process of display in the level of understanding a knowledge of what has been learnt as a student especially while studying in schools. Irrespective of the schools physical beauty or magnificence, it is of great benefit to know to know that the student’s academic performance depends also on the teaching methods adopted by the class teacher.

The choice of teaching methods according to Wikipedia may also depend largely on the information that the teacher or instructor intends to pass across to the members/students in his/her class, the skill that is to be taught, and it may also be influenced by the attitude and level of enthusiasm of the class/students. In the last decade, scholars has attempted to see hour and why there has been a downward growth in the level of performance of secondary school age with the high rate of failure displayed by results of examinations conducted by external examinational bodies e.g Jamb, WAEC, NECO does it mean that the methods of instruction are obsolete and needs revisions, or is the assertion true that Nigerian students are drill? Or is it because these students have no passion for education/learning? Or is a likely, that the system of education in Nigeria generally does not favour this generation of scholars. In this study an indepth analysis will be done to analyze this menace that is eating up the educational system.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS

Seeing the degree of poor performance put on in recent years by students of the secondary school age writing either the NECO, WAEC, NABTEB, GCE or JAMB, one is compelled to ask some series of questions. A number of studies have been done to check the students responsibility when they fail, revisions of the curriculum systems have also been done but the level of the menace seems to be on the rise as the years come and go and raising another generation of students but non or little have been done on whether to known how much the teachers mode, means and method of instruction can affect the students performance.