AVAILABILITY OF INSTRUCTIONAL AIDS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND ITS EFFECT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN GOVERNMENT IN ESSIEN UDIM LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The relevance of instructional aids in the teaching/learning process can not be over-emphasized. This is because of their direct influence on the performance of learners. The selection of materials which are related to the basic content of a subject or a lesson, helps indepth understanding of such a lesson by the students in that they make the lesson attractive to them, thereby arresting their attention and thus, motivating them to learn. The experience of what is seen or touched remains longer in mind than what is only heard (Gagne, 2000). Apart from the above function, using instructional aids can make teaching more efficient, effective, powerful and flexible. Instructional aids can also serve as a means by which the learners can acquire visual images that are very important in memorization. Whatever the teacher brings to the class as instructional aids should be attractive enough to arrest the learners’ attention.
Instructional aids can take the form of visuals, audio or audio-visual aids. Whatsoever form instructional aids take, one of their important functions is to assist, reinforce and supplement the instructor’s communication during the presentation of the lesson. And this is done by; clarifying the concept or idea, making the communication channel more explicit as well as helping the learners to develop good conceptual understanding of the content or skill taught. For example an idea which would be difficult (abstract) can easily be simplified when an instructional aid is used to present it. Therefore learners are able to relate an idea to their common reality or environment with the use of aids.
Instructional aids are sometimes used in communicating the lesson to make it concrete, exciting, interesting and thought provoking. Communication, being a major tool for teachers in the teaching/learning situation, needs to be suitable, appropriate, simple, desirable and available (Ikpe, 2005). As Posited by Nya (2005), availability of instructional materials increases utilization and makes instructors to learn more concerning the proper use of materials. Any lesson without instructional aids will look abstract and unreal. This is why Ikpe (2005) rightly observed that “a teacher who teaches without instructional aid will not make the lesson captivating and interesting. It is an obvious fact that, a teacher who is well equipped with relevant instructional aids and equipment can achieve very much in his class by arousing the interest of students with the instructional aids.
Bekley (2006) highlighted that the availability of instructional resources have a major influence on the selection of teaching methods, techniques and strategies. These materials and equipment help to add stimulus to teaching and learning of core subjects like government for arts students. He emphasized that the interest of the student in government cannot be easily aroused and sustained by the use of the lecture method. It would rather be aroused using such things as textbooks, tape recorders, slide projectors, dictating machines and radio cassettes. However, these materials are in short supply because of their high cost. Withich and Schuler (2012) stated that we cannot learn anything without sensory experiences which make the impressions effective. Learning can only be made complete, vivid and accurate through the use of instructional aids available in the school. They believed that any materials used by a teacher to explain a particular concept in the class will enable students to relate what they are taught to what is being presented.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
It is without doubt that in order to raise the quality of education, its efficiency and productivity, instructional aids are needed. Scarcity or absence of instructional aids in schools affect students’ performance enormously and also create a vacuum on the ability to learn and teach effectively.
Availability of instructional aids in any school will positively influence students performance and aid qualitative instruction for all categories of learners. It is unfortunate that most schools lack basic facilities for effective teaching and learning situations and others lack suitable textbooks, qualified teachers, libraries and other man power needed to actualize the objective of learning.
As a result, the issue of availability of instructional aids and students’ performance in schools has attracted a lot of attention and general comments in several quarters. The general idea far and wide is that lack of appropriate instructional aids hinder the students’ performance in subjects such as government. These comments both positive and adverse need some investigation and that is what this project intends to do. This study therefore focuses on the availability of instructional aids in teaching government and students performance, using schools in Essien Udim Local Governemnt Area, Akwa Ibom State as a case study.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The purpose of the study is to assess and examine the availability of instructional aids in secondary schools and its effect on academic performance of students in government in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. To achieve this, the following objectives will be sought:
- To examine the extent of availability of instructional aids for teaching government in secondary schools in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
- To determine the relationship between the availability of aids and the performance of male students in government in secondary schools in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
- To determine the relationship between availability of instructional aids and the performance of female students in government in secondary schools in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
1.4 Research Questions
In order to guide the study, the following research questions are formulated:
- To what extent are instructional aids available for teaching government in secondary schools in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State?
- To what extent is the relationship between the availability of instructional aids and the performance of male students in government in secondary schools in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State
- To what extent is the relationship between the availability of instructional aids and the performance of female students in secondary schools in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
1.5 Hypotheses
The importance of hypotheses in any research need not be over-stressed. In order to treat the problems enumerated in research questions, the following propositions shall form the interim working answers:
- There is no significant relationship between availability of instructional aids and the performance of students in government in secondary schools in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
