INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL UTILIZATION AND PUPILS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Instructional materials are essential and significant tools needed for teaching and learning of school subjects to promote teachers’ efficiency and improve students’ performance. They make learning more interesting, practical, realistic and appealing. They also enable both the teachers and students to participate actively and effectively in lesson sessions. They give room for acquisition of skills and knowledge and development of self- confidence and self- actualization. Ibeneme (2000) defined teaching aids as those materials used for practical and demonstration in the class situation by students and teachers. Ikerionwu (2000) saw instructional materials as objects or devices that assist the teacher to present a lesson to the learners in a logical and manner. In his own perspective, Fadeiye (2005) saw instructional materials as visual and audio-visual aids, concrete or non-concrete, used by teachers to improve the quality of teaching and learning activities in Social Studies. Agina-Obu (2005) submitted that instructional materials of all kinds appeal to the sense organs during teaching and learning. Isola (2010) also described instructional materials as objects or devices that assist the teachers to present their lessons logically and sequentially to the learners.

Oluwagbohunmi and Abdu-Raheem (2014) acknowledged that instructional materials are such used by teachers to aid explanations and make learning of subject matter understandable to students during teaching learning process. In the same vein, Obanya (2004) asserted that several studies carried out in some areas in Nigeria indicated that the results of Senior School Certificate Examinations was completely bad in nearly all subjects offered by the students. He stressed further that only about 10% of candidates ‘meaningfully passed’ the examination. Abdu-Raheem (2011) asserted that non availability and inadequacy of instructional materials are major causes of ineffectiveness of the school system and poor performance of students in schools. Ahmed (2003) confirmed that in most secondary schools in Nigeria, teaching and learning take place under a most un-conducive environment without access to essential materials. Eniayewu (2005) posited that it is very important to use instructional aids for instructional delivery to make students acquire more knowledge and to promote academic standard. The African people had developed their own systems of education even long before the coming of Europeans and Arabs. Although the systems varied from one community to the other, their goals were often strikingly similar (Sifuna & Otiende, 1980). At independence in 1960 education was viewed as the means to eradicating poverty, ignorance, and disease from Nigeria (MOEST 2OO5). Nigeria has had several Education commissions since independence, aimed at improving quality in Education. A lot of policies; EFA, UPE and the recent one, FPE have been formulated, aimed at addressing access, equity, relevance, external and internal efficiencies within education system. The use of instructional materials in teaching and learning at the primary school level help the learners to explore experiment, create and interact with the environment intensively. Copious uses of instructional materials help to provide learners with a 4 enabling environment to learn English (Meremikwu, 2008). Instructional materials make teaching and learning more effective. They can be manipulated, seen, heard or talked about as instruments which facilitate such activity. Esu, Enukoha and Umoren (2004) stated that instructional materials are necessary ingredients in the development of any curriculum. Esu (1995) asserted that the main aim of instructional materials in the teaching of English is to increase the effectiveness of teaching English as a means of preparing learners for future responsibilities as adults. Textbooks and other learning materials may influence teachers‟ beliefs about English (Collopy, 2003).English is used as a basic entry requirement in any of the prestigious courses such as medicine, architecture and engineering among other degree programs.

According to Aduwa Et Al, (2005), these materials and resources include, audio tapes recorders, video tape recorders, slide projectors, still pictures, programmed instructional film strips, maps, chart, graphs and many more; oer a variety of learning experience individually or in combination to meet dierent teaching and learning experiences. Ngaroga, (2007), talks of teaching and learning materials as those that are accessed in the School environment, collected and brought. They can be three dimensional, two dimensional real objects and others are electronic. The “term mathematical instructional resource” is defined as any form of specific mathematical apparatus (Structured or unstructured), image, ICT game, 10 tool, paper, or everyday material which could be utilized to provide a mathematical teaching or learning (Dorine, Et. Al, 2007). The deteriorating state of our educational system is quite worrisome. The problem teachers and students encounter in our educational system include inadequate teaching and learning materials. Instructional materials are bought into play along the line to enhance educational achievement whenever they are properly used. Nevertheless, it has been realized that there is a need for a coordinated source of information for pre service teachers on the preparation and utilization of instructional materials

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Teaching and learning in advance nations such as United Kingdom and United States of America quite dier from teaching and learning process in most of the developing nations like Nigeria. Comparatively teaching job in advance country presently is technologically based, the use of computer in teaching dominate, while in developing countries man power is still in existence, Nigeria for the past two decades had a clamoring for the use of advanced instructional teaching aids in teaching and learning process which has not been fully attained; this arouse the interest of researchers to find out the impact of using instructional teaching aids on teaching and learning process, to compare educational effectiveness for the learner that they are imported systematic information through the use of teaching aids and as well as investigating the problems associated with the use of teaching aids in teaching and also find out the impact it has on the performance of secondary school students.