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

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.

 

 

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