PROJECT: EFFECTS OF EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN
TEACHING AND LEARNING OF SOCIAL STUDIES IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NSUKKA
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study.
Education was defined by Ukeje (1976) as a process by which people are
acclimatized to the culture into which they are born in order that they may
advance it. Philosopher from Socrates, Plato and Aristotle to John Dewey
recognized education as a powerful instrument devised by man for his
improvement. Nwagwu (1981) sees education as the process by which every society
attempts to preserve and upgrade the accumulated knowledge skills and attitudes
in its cultural setting and heritage in order to foster continuously the well
being of mankind and guarantee its survival against the unpredictable, at times
hostile and destructive elements and forces of man and nature.
Some educationists define education as the process of transmitting what is
worthwhile in politics, religion, economics, culture, customers, mores, norms,
e.t.c to those who are committed to it. From the above definitions of
education, it is clear that one thing common to all of them is the conception
of education as a means for societal change.
It is the means by which the
society transmits its customs, values, beliefs norms, attitudes, mores,
language, ideas to its generation.
All these involve the development of modern democratic values which are taught
and learnt in social studies because of its broad based scope. The study of
social studies is relatively new in Nigeria school curriculum. It was initially
misinterpreted as being an attempt to displace other social science disciplines.
But it was later discovered that social studies is a unique subject that has a
peculiar nature, aims and objectives. Besides, the Subject has initial problems
just like any other new subject. Its problems range from the misunderstanding
of its concept, nature and scope to the problems relevant textbooks and
adequate instructional materials for effective teaching and learning.
This situation therefore calls for continued efforts in identifying solutions
to the problem of social studies education in Nigeria. Social studies is not
geography, it is neither history nor government. It is not economics. Social
studies are not an amalgamation of the social sciences. Rather, social studies
are an area of the curriculum designed specifically for the study of man and
how his problems are solved. It deals with how man can fit into the society by
utilizing the necessary attitudes, values and skills.
The accomplishment of the purpose for which social studies was introduced in
schools would depend to a large extent not only on the availability of
right caliber of professionally trained social studies teachers but also of the
instructional materials available in schools for its teaching. Therefore, the
role of instructional materials in the teaching of social studies has been long
established. Instructional materials provides successes for the learners who
have difficulty in learning through formal face to face approach or typical
textbooks (NTI 2002) the utilization of instructional materials in teaching
provides a non-threatening, realistic, concrete approach in learning social
studies.
Therefore, instruction materials when used in learning social studies are when
used in learning social studies are particularly helpful in dealing with
individual differences in order to facilitate learning and in preventing
drop-outs. Instructional material in itself is resources which can be utilized
in teaching and learning. They are resources which both teachers and learners
use for the purpose of ensuring effective teaching and learning. As a result of
the related role of instructional materials, a positive attitude towards social
studies is likely to be a major outcome.
Therefore the only way to breakdown
hostility towards social studies is to provide pleasant and enjoyable
experience by using instructional materials.
It is well known among educators that the educational experience involving the
learner’s activity participating in concrete examples is retained longer than
abstract experiences. Instructional materials add elements of reality by
providing concrete examples to learning. Adeyanju (1997) noted that
instructional materials of different variety stimulate, motivate as well as
arrest learner’s attention.
It is obvious that social studies teaching and learning cannot be well
accomplished without the use of instructional materials. The reason is not far
fetched, advanced in technology have brought instructional materials especially
the projected and electronic materials to the fore font as the most
radical tools of globalization and social development which have affected
classroom teaching-learning situation positively. Such technologies like mass
media are important for knowledge transfer.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The immensurable roles played by social studies in developing Nigerian citizens
make it necessary for its inclusion into the Nigerian school curriculum. Social
studies equip individuals with the necessary skills required in solving
societal problems end as well enabling them to think critically and
reflectively. Through social studies students are opportune to learn about
other people both far and near which enables them to appreciate other people’s
culture and thus reduce the degree of negative feelings about other people’s
culture. Social training disciplines the mind and develops critical reasoning
and problem solving skills to a high degree.
All these are the importance of social studies. Our society today cannot
properly be promoted without appreciating various roles instructional materials
play in the teaching of social studies in junior secondary schools in Nsukka
Local Government Area. Therefore, the roles of instructional material in
teaching social studies embedded in everybody events ensue greater transfer of
learning than the usual classroom procedure. Hence, the problem of this study
is: what are the place of instructional materials in teaching and learning of
social studies? Is it necessary to use instructional material in social studies
teaching and learning?
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The main aim of this study is to final out the functions of instructional
materials in teaching social students in junior secondary schools in Nsukka
Local Government Area.
The study sought to find out:
a. The extent to which instructional
material reduce abstraction involve in teaching and learning social studies
concept.
b. The extent to which instructional
materials capture the learner’s interest.
c. Whether instructional materials
given room for effective retention of social studies concept learned.
d. Whether teaching aids save the
teacher time.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION
In order to have a clear direction of the study the following research
questions will guide and keep the study in focus.
1. To what extent does the
instructional material remove the abstract nature of social studies concepts?
2. To what extent do instructional
materials help to capture students’ interest?
3. To what extent do instructional
materials help effective retention of the concepts learned?
4. To what extent do instructional
materials help to save teachers’ time in teaching social studies in class?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The present study is considered important because
the result of the study will be beneficial to the following group of people.
Teachers: the study provides the
teachers with adequate knowledge in teaching social studies concept. If
instructional materials are well utilized, it will help in saving teachers time
and reduce verbalism or repetition of words while teaching.
Students: This study creates in the students the right
type of attitude and norms which are accepted in the society and also provides
information to learners or students.
The Government: This study will also be beneficial to the
government because it will help to find it very necessary to focus on the need
of instructional materials at junior secondary schools in Nsukka Local
Government Area.
Future Researchers: The futures researchers will benefit from
this work because it will enable them to carry out further research on the
usefulness of instructional materials in teaching and learning process.
Instructional materials procedures:
this work will make instructional materials producers to improve on
instructional materials that will help teacher to actualize their instructional
objectives and to make profit.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study was carried out in government owns junior secondary schools in Nsukka
Local Government Area identify the effective utilization of instructional
materials in the teaching and learning of social studies in schools.
1.7 DEFINITION OF THE BASIC CONCEPTS
Effect: According to oxford Advanced Learners
Dictionary (7th edition), effect is a change that somebody or
something causes in somebody or something else. To come into use; to begin to
apply.
Effective: On the other hand also according to oxford Advanced
Learners Dictionary (7th edition), effective means producing
the result that is wanted or intended; producing a successful result coming
into use.
Utilization: This simply means making use of something,
especially for a practical purpose.
Instructional materials: They are those objects or materials used by
teachers as an aid to achieving the instructional objectives. It include print
material materials, visual aids, audio-visual aids, real objects and many
others.
Teaching: this is a deliberate effort by a mature or
experienced person to impart information, knowledge, values, skills, norms
(standard behavior) mores (moral values), attitude, language and soon, to an
immature or less experienced person through the process that is morally and pedagogically
acceptable.
Social studies: This is the study of man and how he interacts
with both animate and inanimate objects in the society.
CHAPTER
TWO
REVIEW
OF RELATED LITERATURE
In this chapter explanation of literature review was done under the following
headings:
a. The concept of instructional
materials
b. Types of instructional materials
c. The importance and functions of
instructional materials in effective teaching social studies.
d. The summary of literature review.
2.1 THE CONCEPT OF INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIALS
Instructional materials are those items that are designed to serve as a major
tool for assisting or helping in teaching and learning process (ESU, 2004)
instructional materials refer to all the resources within the reach of teacher
and the learner which are employed to facilitate teaching and learning.
Such
material may be both human and non human that facility the acquisition and
evaluation of knowledge, skills, attitudes, morals, values, etc.
Resources play a vital role in enhancing the teaching and learning process. In
this field of knowledge two main resources are required for appropriate
teaching and learning of the subject discipline. These immensely help the
instructor to effectively achieve the aims and objectives of his study.
According to Obodo (1999) instructional materials are those materials used by
teachers in the classroom for the purpose of communicating ideas, buildings
pupils’ curiosity and playing review and reinforcement of experience to the
learners.
For Adeyanju (1997) Instructional materials are those learning aids
of different variety which stimulate, motivate as well as arrest learners
attention for a while during the instructional process. According to Adeyanju
(1997), learning aids are instructional material or instructional teaching aids
and devices through which teaching and learning are done in schools. It
includes any object or material used by teachers as an aid to achieving the
instructional objectives.
In conventional educational programmes, instructors, pay little or no attention
to the use of instructional materials due to inadequate knowledge of their
contributions in teaching – learning process. For this reason teaching was
mainly based on teacher centered method.
This limitations of teacher centered
method of teaching calls for the need and use of instructional materials in the
contemporary societies. Presently, social studies are no longer in the
primitive age of talk and chalk rather it is in the inquiry age which requires
careful planning and observation. The present state of the subject causes
problems to inexperienced teachers because they find it difficult to adopt and
make use of current strategies. In an inquiry classroom students are not
confined only to the classroom situation like in the age of talk and chalk
rather they are encouraged to acquire knowledge beyond their classroom
environment. Inquiry strategy provides the students the opportunity for direct
observation of both physical and human phenomena. It contains various learning
materials that are mostly constructed by students.
Again according Ojobor (2008) instructional materials are those concrete
objects which motivate students, arouse their interest and make them more
active and lively in the class. Instructional materials are the necessary
ingredients that make the teaching and learning of social studies pleasant and
satisfying experience. Dike (1987) described instructional materials as
alternative channels of communication which a teacher can use to compress
information for more vivid to his learners. Instructional materials are the
relevant material utilized by a teacher during social studies instructional
process to facilitate teaching and learning and for the purpose of making the
contents of the instructions more practical and les vague. Instructional
materials serves as a channel through which message, information, ideas and
knowledge are disseminate more easily. They can therefore, be manipulated,
seen, heard fact or talked about. They facilitate activities.
They are anything
or anybody the teacher turns to for help in his learn process (ESU & Umoren
1998). The interactive nature of some of the materials makes the learners part
of the learning process.
Babalola (2004) noted that “instructional materials are designed to promote and
encourage effective teaching-learning experiences” Instructional materials are
ways and means of making the teaching learning process easy, more meaningful
and understandable. Babalola (2004) also noted that as ingredients is to soup,
so also is resources materials to curriculum implementation. Instructional
materials possess some inherent advantage that makes them unique in social
studies teaching. For one thing, they provide the teachers with interesting and
compelling plat forms for conveying information since they motivate learners to
want to learn more and more.
Based on this, for social studies teachers to get hold of they should
constantly be on look out for ways to make proper use of instructional
materials to communicate with their learners or students and to implement the
curriculum objectives of the school. To do this, they must not only keep
abreast with new instructional materials but also incorporate them in their
teaching.
TYPES OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Different types and varieties of
instructional materials are available to be used in teaching of social studies
and other subjects effectively. But as far as social studies instructional
materials are concerned these materials can be purchased, locally made,
improvised or imported from other countries when necessary for the effective
teaching of social studies.
Instructional materials can be grouped into two major types, namely:
i. Print materials
ii. Non print materials
i. Printed materials: These
are those materials that appear in printed form. Students and educationist rely
heaving materials because they provide basic information needed by scholars.
The evolution printing in the contemporary society provides a fast and cheap
way of preparing large volumes of printed materials.
These materials used by
instructors to aid learning.
There are different types of printed materials such as monographs (Non
-fiction) periodicals or serials, fictions and vertical file materials etc.
Monographs: they are also known as non -fiction. They are
important sources of informational. They include books, pamphlets and reports
etc.
Books: according to UNESCO (2002) a book is non
periodic printed publication of at least 49 pages, exclusive of the cover page,
published in the country and made available to the public.
Pamphlets: According to UNESCO (2002) a pamphlet is a
non periodic printed publication of at least 5 pages but not more than 48 pages
exclusive of the cover page, published in the country and made available to the
public.
Serial/periodicals: These are printed materials published at
regular or irregular intervals i.e. daily, weekly, monthly, bi monthly,
quarterly, biannually or annually etc. Periodicals include; Newspapers,
journals, magazines, directories, technical and annual reports proceedings and
transactions.
ii. Non Printed materials are
also known as non book or audio-visual materials. They are those materials that
do not mainly depend on reading to convey meaning. They present information
through various sense organs. For instance, resources such as radio, tap and
cassettes convey information through the sense organ of hearing; visual
resources such as pictures, diagrams, models, maps and graph etc. convey
information through the sense organ of sight while audio visual resources such
as sound films, television, videotapes, slide tapes etc.
Convey information through a
combination of sense organs. According to Unuebunwa (1999) Instructional
materials are classified thus:
i. Graphic materials
ii. Still/flat pictures
iii. Projected still pictures
iv. Motion pictures
v. Audio materials
vi. Three dimensional materials and
computers.
Adekenyi (2008) summarized instructional materials available for instruction in
social studies into four major categories.
i. Visual materials: These
include pictures, maps, charts, graphs, diagrams, chalkboards sketches, atlas
and painting.
ii. Audio materials: These
include television, computer, film trips video recording and projectors.
iii. Auditory materials: These
include audio recordings, radios, records or cassette and music.
iv. Printed materials: These
include encyclopedias, textbooks, magazines, stimulated games, government
records and publication Almanacs, biographic, editorial cartoons and case
studies.
In the course of this study the type of instructional materials used social
studies will be discussed under the following categories:
a.
Projected and electronic materials
b. Non project materials
c. Phenomenal or manipulating materials
a. Projected and electronic
materials: These could be visual, audio and audio visual in nature
that requires production and electricity in their uses for teaching and
learning situation.
b. Non-projected materials:
Ughamadu (1997) in Anyawu (2003) asserted that no projected materials are those
materials that do not require any form of production before they can be used.
Non projected materials are different forms instructional materials that
required not the process of projection before its operation can take place.
These include: chalkboard, models magnetic board, soft board flip-chair
specimen, print and none printed material. Printed materials are textbook,
magazine, periodicals, journals and newspapers among others while non printed
material are charts, chalkboard, radio, television, films, video tapes, games
etc.
c. Phenomenal and manipulative
materials: these are the instructional materials, teaching situation
such as events, things, pictures, setting, festivals and other community
resources that are directed comprehended by learner at the natural setting.
These materials help the learners to see, touch, smell, feel and handle
physically which gives them natural experiences in learning.
2.3 THE IMPORTANCE AND FUNCTIONS OF
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF SOCIAL STUDIES
The
roles played by instructional materials in the teaching- learning process
cannot be overemphasized. Therefore, instructional materials help the teacher
to easily achieve the aims and objectives of his/her teaching and as well help
the students for easy understanding of the lesson. In other words,
instructional material makes teaching – learning process efficient, effective
and interesting. Effective teaching must often depend, to a great extent, on
the instructors ability to make use of various relevant instructional aides and
other resources as required by the lesson beings thought.
The use of instructional aides makes a lesson more practical and meaningful to
the learners. It is worthily to not that learners do remember more of what
implies that as students see their teacher demonstrate the lesson with the
instructional material they hardly forget the lesson. Thus instructional
materials create lasting impression on the students it arouses student’s
interest in the lesson being thought.
Besides, it makes the teacher himself to
talk less since the instructional material act as concrete evidence presented
to the class.
There is no gain saying that the use of instructional material as concrete
examples makes learning more really and lively to children. A child who is
looking at hibiscus flower when it is being discussed will easily remember the
parts better than a child who will try to recall the parts from memory. In the
same way, teachings with instructional materials makes the concept being taught
more real than when a child has to rely only on the teacher’s voice. Teachings
with concrete object as well as other teaching materials enable the child to
employ more sense than when just listening. He who employs more sense in
learning is likely to retain and remember more of the learned materials since
he must have interacted with the materials than he must have interacted with
the materials than he who just listened to the instructor\s voice without
seeing or torching any concrete object.
Using instructional materials in social studies classroom widens the channel of
communication between teachers and their pupils. Therefore, instructional
materials allow the growth of specific learning ability and enhance
intellectual skills. The use of charts and models enables the teacher to
present and illustrate many physical phenomena and issue easily and at the same
time allows them focus attention on the characteristics of objects.
Brog (2000) point out that the inability of students/pupils to effectively
comprehend subject may be due to lack of adequate facilities. In the same way,
the teacher uses instructional materials to communicate a new idea. They
provide the teacher with interesting and competing platforms for conveying
information since the motive learners want to learn more and more.
Dike (1999) described instructional material as alternative channels of communication
which a teacher can use to compress information and make them more vivid to his
students. Brown (1998) point out the vital role of the teacher in curriculum
process when he noted that the curriculum can be great, successful or a dismal
failure depending on the instructional materials at the disposal of the
teacher. He goes on to say that no matter how strongly motivated a nature may
be in desiring to provide education for its citizens irrespective of the
financial resources and goodwill, the effectiveness of the system ultimately
depends on the quality of the teachers that operate it, and mostly, the
availability of instructional materials and educational inputs and they are of
vital importance in the successful implementation of any teaching and learning.
According to Obodo (1997) other reasons for using instructional materials:
a. They help to reduce the level of
abstraction involved in teaching and learning concepts.
b. They capture the learners’ interest.
C. They keep the students busy and
active.
d. they also stimulate the imagination
of the pupils.
e. They give room for effective
retention of social studies concepts.
Instruction materials also save the teachers preparation time, provide source of
information and authority and re-enforce verbal and visual massages.
It is used
to provide the richest possible learning environment which helps learners and
the teachers to achieve specific objectives.
From the foregoing, the importance of and the usefulness of instructional
materials in social studies instructional can be best explained on the
following pointes.
1. Stimulation of interest: there
is the need to generate, arouse, motivate and maintain students interest if the
learners interest is properly built. Learning can take place effectively.
Students are aroused with the nature and the beautiful appearance of
instructional materials.
2. Concretize abstract issue or
topic in social studies: It makes conceptual abstraction in social
studies more meaningful, makes learning real, practical and more permanent to
the learners. They make lessons more practical and realistic.
3. Creating Effective
Communication: instructional materials allow for flow and transmission
of ideas from the teachers to the students and likewise from the student to the
teacher or from one group to another. The students will be able to see, touch,
smell what is been talked about by the teacher and by curious to ask questions
4. The use of mass
Instructional and taking care of a wide Audience: with the use of
projected and electronic materials such as television, overhead transparencies
and computer especially, instructions are packaged in very broad manners and
which take care of wide range of learners in a classroom with less stress and
time.
5. Providing meaningful and
useful sources of information to teachers and learners: The teachers
provide reliable and useful information for the learners with the use of
instructional materials. It can effectively be used to ultimates, shorten
information from various sources for the purpose of comparison and contrasting
ideas.
6. They help in Developing a
Continuity of Reasoning and Coherence of thought: Social studies
discipline being and integrated course of study that incorporate ideas from
different disciplines, the use of instructional materials helps the learners on
providing integrated experiences which may vary from discipline which make the
end product of education more productive.
7. They save Time and Reduce
Verbalism or Repetition of words: It reduces verbalism or repetition
of words by the teacher without knowing their meaning and also adds variety in
reinforcing verbal massages by providing a multimedia approach. In fact
instructional materials reduce the level at which the teacher should stress
himself if in the process of talking, rather he guides the process of teaching.
8. They are used to Perfect
teaching methods and promote closer relations between the community and school: Instructional
materials if properly utilized helps in giving direct contact with the
realities of the learners’ both social studies and physical environment.
A successful
social studies teacher is like a builder of bridges he builds a foundation for
the new concept for each student by using concrete experience. The teacher
completes the structure by making it a social studies system. The result is a
structure that will not crumble from lack of understanding or use.
THE SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW
The summary of review of related
literature on the role of instructional materials in the teaching of social
studies contained in this literature review shows that instructional materials
when properly used makes instructional process real, more permanent and
appealing. Instructional materials have been defined as those things that aids
teaching and learning and concretizes abstract issue in social studies concept.
The review of instructional materials enable teacher to edit, try, retry, alter
and delete his activities to fit the standard of the students and also to
effectively address the curriculum object. This review of related literature
indicates that there are three board types of instructional materials used in
teaching-learning process, namely,
Instructional materials
have also seen as an approach for:
(a) An increase in motivation via shift
from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation and acquisition of the heuristic of
discovery.
(b) Enhancement of the proof of memory
processing
(c) Increase in general intellectual
potency.
(d) As an agent of information to mass
production and perfection of instructions. Teachers of social studies and other
discipline have been encouraged to make proper use of instructional materials
in their teaching.
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EFFECTS
OF EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING OF
SOCIAL STUDIES IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NSUKKA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF
ENUGU STATE.