Thesis Abstract

<p> Fine Art is one of the core subjects in the Secondary School System in Nigeria. And the<br>educational goals realizable from art learning cannot be overemphasized. In-spite of its<br>articulate documentation as enshrined in the National Policy on Education (NPE) and its<br>general acceptance as a subject to be taught in Secondary Schools, it has the problem of<br>curriculum implementation in most Schools in Benue State. This study attempts to<br>X-ray these problems by considering first the content of the curriculum, secondly determine<br>whether or not the implementators of the curriculum are suitably qualified or not and thirdly<br>find out the reasons for the failure in implementation.<br>The study considered secondary schools in the North East Senatorial Zone of Benue State<br>with a sample size of 600 students, 100 teachers and 30 principals/Deans of Studies. The<br>questionnaire was face validated by experts and through the use of Crunbach Alpha<br>Technique was administered through direct delivery technique/method.<br>Amazingly, the results of the study showed that most of the teachers were qualified, however<br>failure in the implementation was due largely to pedagogic methods used in teaching the<br>subject, not being suitable, more so the absence of basic instructional materials/equipment<br>coupled with lack of motivation, encouragement from most school administrators is largely<br>responsible for lack of curriculum implementation of Fine Art as a subject in most secondary<br>schools in Benue State. <br></p>

Thesis Overview

<p> INTRODUCTION<br>1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY<br>For a nation to be classified developed or developing, such a nation must attain<br>tremendous sphere of independence, this is achieved through demonstrable ability of the<br>citizenry to explore and exploit their potentials realizing their self interest in the various<br>endeavour’s of existence especially in the educational system. The secondary school system<br>of education as observed by Ukeje (1996) is expected to prepare the youth for life in a society<br>for which are parts of and therefore should avail them with the necessary basic foundation<br>and tools for effective functioning in the society. However, when these basics are absent, it<br>could be said that some level of confidence and all other levels of education will collapse.<br>The National Policy On Education in Nigeria (2004) emphasizes the inculcation of the<br>right type of values and attitudes for the survival of the individual and the Nigerian society,<br>the acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competencies both mental and physical as<br>equipment for the individual to live and contribute to the development of his society. The<br>design of an educational programme is influenced by a wide variety of decisions ranging<br>from the type of educational policy on the aims or content of the curriculum, planning of the<br>curriculum policy or curriculum priorities to operate programmes within the schools.<br>According to Tanner (1975) curriculum is from the Latin root-word curus (running).<br>It came to be used to describe the “face course” by contestants, in those days, in education it<br>was figuratively used to refer to the course programme run by students towards their<br>certification. In its very narrow sense it refers simply to the subjects the learner for any<br>programme have to cover before they could be said to have completed that class/programme.<br>xi<br>Curriculum has numerous definitions which can be slightly confusing in its broadest<br>sense. Curriculum may refer to all courses offered by the school, it could be regarded as the<br>sum total of the school’s planned programme of study, designed to bring about desirable<br>changes in behaviour of student or learner both in and outside the class. Similarly, curriculum<br>has been viewed by Bobbit (1981:42) as “that series of things which children and youth must<br>do and experience by way of developing abilities to do things well that make up adult life;<br>and to be in all respect what adult should be” it is a prescribed course of studies which<br>students must fulfill in order to pass a certain level of education.<br>Okoli (2006), has also reiterated that curriculum is “all of the experiences the child<br>has under the ages of the school”, this conception was also created by progressive educators<br>during the 1920s to emphasize several beliefs that they considered central to any adequate<br>conception of education. When we talk about curriculum we mean that body of materials that<br>is planned in advance for classroom use. That the teacher uses to promote learning, acquire<br>skills and develop beliefs on valued types of experiences. Curriculum studies provide the<br>theoretical background for meaningful education, if the young and inexperienced members of<br>the society are to be properly brought up, the school and other educational agencies in the<br>society must be mutually supportive. Therefore, curriculum is seen as the whole of the<br>interacting forces of the total environment provided for the younger and inexperienced<br>members of society by the school and its complementary agencies. To reflect these,<br>curriculum must be regarded as the process of determining and pursuing set societal<br>objectives. To highlight this, Ola Oloidi in Okoli (2006) emphasized that traditional Africans<br>before the influence of foreign cultures had a highly structured system of Art-education that<br>was very effective in ensuring the continuity of its age-old art and culture. This was even<br>before the coming of the colonial administration and missionaries in Nigeria by then<br>Traditional Art had its forms of art education which had its aim and objectives as follows:<br>xii<br>(a) To produce a creative craftsmanship and develop the persons mind and personality.<br>(b) To prepare the mind to meet up with community participation.<br>(c) To prepare a sound mind on moralist and responsibility.<br>(d) To promote a cultural heritage.<br>(e) To train people for the acquisition of artistic skills to make a vocation.<br>Ukeje (1996), points out that curriculum must be a reflection of what people in the<br>society feel, believe and do, in consideration of the above therefore, after the coming of the<br>missionaries formal education was introduced and geared towards the three Rs. (writing,<br>reading and arithmetic), production of clerks and church officials. These colonial<br>administrators and missionaries who controlled education did not favour traditional arts and<br>culture: Wangboje (1964) agrees that they associated them with idol worship and barbaric<br>activities. The European attitude towards traditional art and culture persisted even amongst<br>educated Nigerians as it continued to obstruct the development of arts education programmes<br>in schools. It is pertinent to note that in spite of the rapid expansion in formal education<br>introduced by the colonial masters, the curriculum planners did not show much interest and<br>concern for art education until the third decade of the 20th century.<br>Several Commissions were set up to investigate Nigeria’s need in the field of<br>vocational educational and recommendations made. However it was not until 1969 when a<br>National Curriculum Conference under the auspices of Nigerian Educational Research and<br>Development Council (NERDC) was held and it addressed the curricula issues in Nigerian<br>education. The outcomes of this conference led to the formulation of National Policy of<br>Education (1977, revised 1981).<br>According to Wheeler (1978) curriculum must have a firm basis on culture, indeed<br>culture is the substance of education. Culture is to education as what current is to electricity,<br>xiii<br>any society whose education is not based on its culture is in danger of being un-rooted and<br>entangled.<br>The development of art education in Nigerian schools is closely tied to the<br>development of western type of education. Art was introduced into the curriculum of<br>education in Nigeria in 1922, when Chief Aina Onabolu, the father of Nigerian Art, returned<br>to Nigeria after studying and acquiring a Diploma in Art from St. John Wood College<br>London. Thus, Aina Onabolu became the first African art teacher to implement art<br>curriculum not only in Nigeria, but also in West Africa. He began teaching art in schools<br>around Lagos; some of the schools he taught were Wesley Boys High School, C.M.S.<br>Grammar School, Eko Boys High School, Kings College and Christ Church Cathedral<br>School.<br>Later Kenneth Cross Waite Murray a British teacher was brought to help in art<br>teaching in 1927 this gave way to the emergence of many art students to make a remarkable<br>turn in art teaching and learning, but the result was not adequate enough. Besides, the<br>British trained Nigerian art teachers according to Palmer (2004) had difficulties in adapting<br>their teaching to the traditional arts in Nigeria, also the planning and implementation of art<br>programme by the educational administrators was lopsided, whereas it would have been more<br>fruitful to introduce art teaching into teachers’ training institutions to enable grassroots<br>foundational level.<br>Fine art being one of the core subjects like every other discipline it is expected to<br>realize the importance of education which is the realization of the overall educational goals of<br>effective National Policy on Education (NPE 2004). Even though it is generally accepted, art<br>curriculum is not well implemented in schools and colleges due to various problems and<br>hindrance.<br>xiv<br>In secondary schools, implementation problems dates back to when art came to exist<br>as a course of study; many constraints. According to Ola Oloidi in Yusuf Grillo (1967) a<br>foremost Nigerian painter and the Director of Technology Lagos State states that when he<br>likes his other classmate choose art as an academic career, he never thought of the material<br>and social gains which this would bring, this is because the society including educational<br>institutions never trained them to recognize the usefulness of art as a subject worthy of<br>academic pre-occupation.<br>Sociological factors and general attitudes, Uzoagba (2005) and Okoli (2006) agree<br>that it is unfortunate that people perceived art as a line of low resistance in the academic<br>pursuit, thus art is meant for the never do well. Parents are disappointed when their children<br>take art as a career. They feel there is no future in art since the uneducated people e.g. the<br>roadside Artist are already famous without any college training, thus they refuse to recognize<br>and respect arts and therefore, discourage their children from studying arts.<br>Fine art was thought as a period of relaxation after other subjects and mostly towards<br>the end of school hours when everybody is already tired. The Head Teachers or Principals<br>and Deans of studies were ignorant of the knowledge of art curriculum content; all classes<br>were still taught in open ground with no provincial art education hall. It is difficult to believe<br>that art is in fact far inferior to other subjects today. Art education has not been able to make<br>necessary impact it is expected to make on the vast majority of the Nigerian populace<br>because of lack of awareness about the functional relationship of art and society. Mhambe<br>(1999) observes the lack of interest on arts by school administrators, those in authority,<br>including policy makers who formulate policies and who must be experts or experienced for<br>the curriculum to succeed and who should, therefore play the role of striving to provide<br>adequate facilities for the schools in order to restore interest in the learner.<br>xv<br>Mhambe (1999) also points out that Government of this country (Nigeria) is to be<br>blamed because her educational system, policy and implementation of art courses have not<br>been adequately taken care of, all emphases are towards intensive science teaching and<br>establishment of special science schools.<br>Art depends so much on public orientations, exhibitions, seminars, personality and<br>interest of the art teacher to be able to implement and coordinate the curriculum without<br>hindrance from others who perpetuate the teaching of art education due to lack of<br>instructional materials, textbooks, art materials by both teachers and students, nonavailability<br>of funds from government and principals and none or low incentives for the art<br>teachers/instructors.<br>Implementing curriculum in Fine art is a complex process that deals with people with<br>diverse views, ideals, and background. It involves parents, students, teachers, producers of<br>educational art materials, curriculum planners, subject associations and government because<br>art subjects have broad value for both arts and science inclined students in secondary schools.<br>It is therefore not easy to state where the curriculum implementation starts and ends in Fine<br>Arts.<br>1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM<br>Over the years, there exists a low impact of Fine arts curriculum not only in the<br>educational sector alone but also the entire society. As such, parents, scholars and the entire<br>public are worried about what could be responsible for the low impact of Fine arts curriculum<br>in the society. However, the contents of Fine arts curriculum is comprehensive and articulate<br>as observed by Dienye (1995), the contents of Fine arts curriculum is not only comprehensive<br>but also valid to the extent that it is true, authentic, it needs overhearing to address<br>contemporary issues of the society and more appropriate strategies for implementation need<br>to be adopted. Also, Akolo (1988) and Okoli (2006) lament on the problem of implementing<br>xvi<br>Fine arts curriculum as stipulated in National Policy of Education (1981 revised 2004).<br>Perhaps, could it be lack of quality teachers or instructional materials or inadequate periods<br>of Fine arts that is responsible for the low impact of Fine arts in the society. The focus of this<br>study therefore is to ascertain what implementation problem could be responsible for the low<br>impact of Fine arts in the society.<br>1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY<br>The general purpose of this study is to investigate the problems that affect the proper<br>implementation of Fine Arts curriculum in secondary schools. The study is to set the goals<br>and objectives of Fine arts curriculum and provide all the students, teachers, parents,<br>curriculum planners, principals, general public with the understanding of nature, values of<br>arts, through practical and theoretical view points. The specific purposes of these studies are<br>as follows:<br>(a) To determine the extent of coverage of Fine Art curriculum content at secondary<br>schools.<br>(b) To assess the suitability of Man-power needed to execute the teaching methods used<br>for the teaching-learning of Arts in our schools.<br>(c) To examine the effects, lack of instructional/art materials have on the teachinglearning<br>in art education.<br>(d) To evaluate the capital facilities in (structures) in schools which enhance the<br>smooth implementation of curriculum of Fine Arts.<br>(e) To determine the causes of non-challant attitudes of Principals and Deans of studies on<br>the teaching-learning of Fine Arts in Schools.<br>1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY<br>xvii<br>Practical experience has shown that there are problems in the implementation<br>of Fine Arts curriculum in secondary schools. The study intends to look into such<br>problems affecting Fine arts as a subject and non-implementation of its curriculum in<br>secondary schools.<br>1. The results or finding of the study will be of benefit to the government and curriculum<br>planners who will re-examine the curriculum content and validate appropriately.<br>These will give sufficient exposure to teachers of Fine Arts on the different teaching<br>methods for proper implementation of the curriculum and also to take care of needs of<br>the society at large.<br>2 The study intends to create awareness through exhibitions, workshops and public<br>lectures that would help teachers, students and public to develop appropriate skills and<br>techniques for effective teaching and learning of arts.<br>3 The study may also enhance Principals and Deans of Studies in schools who never saw<br>art as important enough to be included as a subject on the time table, give sufficient<br>timing, spacious room and arts studios in schools.<br>4 It would also create awareness for the parents, general public, this would enlighten<br>them on a wide range of the field based Arts and encourage them to take Art as a<br>career.<br>5 The researcher feels that after the findings and recommendation given are accepted by<br>the parties involved, the curriculum of Fine arts in secondary schools will be of no<br>hindrances.<br>xviii<br>1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY<br>The study is restricted to the investigation of the problems of implementation of<br>curriculum of Fine Arts in selected secondary schools in North-East senatorial district (zone<br>A) comprising seven local government areas of Benue State.<br>1.6 DELIMITATION<br>This study is delimited to the period of study in the secondary schools in zone A<br>senatorial district of Benue State between 2000 – 2009.<br>1.7 RESEARCH QUESTIONS<br>1. To what extent is the content of Fine Arts curriculum covered by your school.<br>2. To what extent are periods and time allocated to Fine Arts in your school time<br>table adequate to cover the syllabus?<br>3. What method of teaching is mostly used in Fine arts lesson?<br>4. What instructional materials do you mostly use in the teaching and learning of<br>Fine art?<br>5. To what extent does lack of appropriate Fine Art hall/studios affect student’s<br>performance in Fine Arts?<br>6. What is the attitude of principals and deans of study towards the teaching and<br>learning of fine art in your school?<br>7. To what extent does the technique and strategies for assessing and evaluating Art<br>curriculum achieved?<br>8. Who is qualified to teach Fine Arts in secondary school?<br>9. What qualification/certificates do you hold as an Art teacher? <br></p>