THE EXTENT OF USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR EFFECTIVE TEAHCING AND LEARNING OF BUSINESS EDUCATION

Thesis Overview

<p></p><p><b>1.0 INTRODUCTION</b></p><p><b>1.1 BACKGROUND STUDY</b></p> <p>Teaching at any level requires that the students be exposed to some form of simulation. Adekunle (2008) in Dr. (Mrs.) E. O. Okobia (2011) noted that teaching resources means anything that can assist the teacher in promoting teaching and learning. When the students are given the chance to learn through more senses than one, they can learn faster and easier. </p> <p>According to Nwafor. C.E. and Eze, S.O (2014) instructional materials refer to materials that are used to facilitate teaching and learning. It enables the teacher communicate ideas or concepts with ease as they appeal to many senses at a time. The learner can see, touch, smell or taste thereby making learning more meaningful. This agrees with the Chinese proverb that state: I hear, I forget, I see, I remember, and I do, I understand.</p> <p>The use of instructional materials provides the teacher with interesting and compelling platforms for conveying information since they motivate learners to learn more. Furthermore the teacher is assisted in overcoming physical difficulties that could have hindered his effective presentation of a given topic. </p> <p>Larson (2001) quoted Lane (1994) who noted that the use of electronically mediated instruction to duplicate the traditional face to face classroom has resulted in a shift from teacher- to student-centred classes. In this situation the responsibility for learning is shifted to the students. The teacher facilitates the learning by acting as a coach, resource guide and companion in learning. The use of instructional materials does not only encourage teachers and students to work collaboratively but also results in more cooperative learning activities among the students. Ikerionwu (2000) refers to instructional materials as objects or devices which help the teacher to make learning meaningful to the learners. Similarly, Ezegbe (1994) classified them into two as visual materials, made up of reading and non-reading materials and audio-visual materials comprising electrically operated and non-electrically operated materials. Business studies is a subject that depends on the use of a number of resources.</p> <p>Osakwe and Itedjere (1993) summarized these resources as textual like books, audio-visual and human resources. They stated that these resources are either used individually or collectively in any meaningful teaching and learning situation. The purpose of instructional materials is to promote efficiency of education by improving the quality of teaching and learning. Incorporating these tools and materials present, support and reinforces teaching. According to Aduwa-Ogiegbaen and Imogie (2005) these materials and resources including audio tape recorders, video tape recorders, slide projectors, opaque projectors, over-head projectors, still pictures, programmed instruction, filmstrips, maps, chart, graphs and many more offer a variety of learning experiences individually or in combination to meet different teaching and learning experiences.</p> <p>Other investigators including Jimoh (2009), Yeager (2000), Nwanyanwu (1999), Bozimo (1992) and Ogbondah (2008) have similarly emphasized the importance of instructional materials and resources in the effective delivery of business studies lessons in secondary schools. These views have been corroborated by international investigators including Bolick, Berson, Coutts and Heinecke (2003), Killen (2006), Dahar and Faize (2011). Bolick, Berson, Coutts and Heinecke (2003) observed that while some educators are fascinated by the potential of instructional materials in enhancing teaching and learning, other teachers lagged behind in using instructional materials to teach. However, achieving these laudable goals of conscientious utilization of instructional materials and resources in business studies teaching and learning has been very challenging in developing countries such as Nigeria. As noted by Garuba (2003), the Nigerian teacher operates from a deficient environment where teaching and learning is seriously impoverished particularly in the rural set up. And even in the urban areas only few schools are connected to the national grid while virtually all the rural schools do not enjoy basic facilities like pipe borne water and electricity.</p> <p>Instructional materials are print and non-print items that are designed to impart information to students in the educational process (Bradley et al. 2005). Among these items are textbooks, charts, magazines, newspapers, pictures, recordings, slides, transparencies and many more. The use of instructional materials in secondary schools has been widely researched and the findings indicate that the benefits of using them are immense. The integration of instructional materials in classroom practice is believed to bolster the quality of instruction by fostering student-centred pedagogies (Abdo and Semela 2010). Furthermore, according to Mateer et al. (2012) the use of relevant instructional media in the classroom is invaluable since it engages students, aids their retention of knowledge, motivates interest in the subject matter and helps to illustrate the relevance of many concepts taught.</p> Community institutions, people and businesses are a rich reservoir of instructional materials for Business Studies teachers because such materials can be sourced from local magazines, newspapers, government publications or the internet with minimum expenditure of time, energy and money. Business documents such as source documents (in Accounting), financial reports, bank withdrawal and deposit slips, consumer protection pamphlets and many more can&nbsp;<p>be gathered from the business community for use in collaborative classroom activities. Today, free internet teaching resources have become a very important tool to impart education. Many government and private organisations have created internet-enabled free teaching resource materials that can be accessed anywhere by both teachers and students (Borrington 2004). The use of community resources in teaching can make students appreciate the local and international relevance of what they learn in school while affording them the opportunity to apply </p> <p>Business Studies theory in context. This is supported by Chew (2008), who, in her study on the development of localised instructional materialsin Hong Kong, came to the conclusion that teaching and learning in business education could be enhanced to a great extent by using instructional resources based on local contexts, because such resources would be more authentic and more relevant to students’ needs.</p> <p>This study therefore aims to study the extent of use of instructional materials for effective teaching to learning of business education in junior secondary school in Nigeria using Ijebu-North Local Government as a case of study.</p> <p><b>&nbsp;</b></p> <p><b>1.2 STATEMENT&nbsp;OF PROBLEM</b></p> <p>Since the inception of the National Junior Secondary School Business Studies Curriculum in Nigeria, few studies have been devoted to evaluating the availability and utilization of instructional materials and resources in the teaching of business studies in the Junior Secondary Schools of Nigeria. At the threshold of the new millennium, business studies teachers face both old and new challenges and need to evolve strategies to engage learners in activities that are active, meaningful and challenging.</p> <p>It has been said that instructional materials has objects or devices which help the teacher to make learning meaningful to the learners. According to Bradley et al. (2005), instructional materials are print and non-print items that are designed to impart information to students in the educational process. Also, according Chew (2008), teaching and learning in business education could be enhanced to a great extent by using instructional resources based on local contexts, because such resources would be more authentic and more relevant to students’ needs.</p> <p>Therefore these have brought to recognition the essentiality of instructional materials in teaching and learning of business studies, hence this research work is designed to examine the extent of use of instructional materials for effective teaching to learning of business education in junior secondary school using Ijebu-North Local Government as a case of Study.</p> <p><b>1.3 Aims and Objectives of the Study</b></p> <p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The following are the aims and objectives of this research work:</p> <p>Ø Enlighten what instructional materials really is;</p> <p>Ø Identify the value added or importance of instructional materials to teaching and learning in business studies;</p> <p>Ø Identify methods to improve the use of instructional materials in business studies;</p> <p>Ø Identify different types of instructional materials and;</p> <p>Ø To examine the extent at which instructional materials in used in teaching and learning business studies in Nigerian secondary school.</p> <p><b>1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY</b></p> <p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; This study will be useful to professionals, counsellors, teachers, students and curriculum developers. It will enlighten them on the extent of use of instructional materials in the teaching to learning of business studies and even bring into awareness how important it is to both the teachers’ teaching effectiveness and the students’ academic performance.</p> <p><b>Research Questions</b></p> <p><b>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </b>The following are the research question of this study:</p> <p>Ø What is instructional materials?</p> <p>Ø What are the types of instructional materials</p> <p>Ø What are the importance of instructional materials?</p> <p>Ø What are the methods used in improving instructional materials?</p> <p>Ø To what extent is instructional materials used in teaching and learning business studies in Nigerian secondary school.<b></b></p> <p><b>Research Hypotheses</b></p> <p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The hypotheses for this research work are as follows:</p> <p><b>Hypothesis One</b></p> <p><b>H0: </b>Instructional materials have no significant effect on academic performance of students.</p> <p><b>H1: </b>Instructional materials have a significant effect on academic performance of students.</p> <p><b>Hypothesis Two</b></p> <p><b>H0: </b>Instructional materials have no significant effect on teaching effectiveness of teachers.</p> <b>H1: </b>Instructional materials have a significant effect on teaching effectiveness of teachers.<p><b>Hypothesis Three</b></p> <p><b>H0: </b>There is no significant relationship between the extent ofuse of instructional materials and the teaching-learning effectiveness of business studies.</p> <p><b>H1: </b>There is a significant relationship between the extent of use of instructional materials and the teaching-learning effectiveness of business studies.</p> <p><b>1.4 Definition of Operational Terms</b></p> <p><b>Instructional Materials: </b>educational resource used to improve students’ knowledge, abilities and skills, to monitor their assimilation of information, and to contribute to their overall development and upbringing.<b></b></p> <p><b>&nbsp;</b></p> <p><b>Teaching: </b>the act, practice, occupation or profession of a teacher.<b></b></p> <p><b>Learning: </b>Learning is the act of acquiring new, or modifying and reinforcing existing knowledge, behaviours, skills, values, or preference and may involve synthesizing different types of information.</p> <p><b>&nbsp;</b></p> <p><b>1.5 METHODOLOGY</b></p> <p><b>1.5.1 Research Design</b></p> <p>The descriptive survey research design was employed to carry out this study. The aim of the researcher was to record, analyze and interpret the existing conditions or variables. The research is non-experimental and therefore variables were not manipulated. This makes descriptive survey research design suitable for this study. This design also accommodates generalization of findings of the study upon the target population from which only a representative sample was actually studied.</p> <p><b>1.5.2 Population of the Study</b></p> <p>The population for the study comprised all business studies teachers in Ijebu North Local Government. But due to some limiting factors, such as time, financial insufficiency and insufficient manpower the researcher made a target population by randomly selecting some teachers teaching business studies subject such as business education, typewriting and shorthand in Junior Secondary School and Commerce, Accounting, Economics etc. in Senior Secondary School. Therefore, the total population for this study is 50 teachers.</p> <p><b>&nbsp;</b></p> <p><b>&nbsp;</b></p> <p><b>1.5.3 Sampling and Sampling techniques</b></p> <p>In this study, random sampling technique was adopted. The researcher randomly selected ten secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government. This is to ensure the validity and reliability of the study. Five teachers (teaching business studies related subjects) were sampled from each secondary school.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>1.5.4 Research Instruments</b></p> <p>The questionnaire item was employed to for gathering relevant data from the teachers of the selected schools used in the analysis of this research study. A set of well-structured questionnaires was designed to elicit data from the target respondents on the basis of the extent of use of instructional materials in teaching business studies in Ijebu North Local Government in Ogun State. The questionnaires were distributed to the participants who having filled them returned the questionnaires to the researcher. </p> <p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; These questionnaires administered to the respondents were of two sections: section A which contains the demographic data of the respondents, section B which contains questions concerning the research study <b></b></p> <p><b>1.5.5 Validity of the Instrument</b></p> <p>The content validity of the questionnaires was ensured through experts’ suggestions and guidance. Experts in questionnaire construction helped in critiquing the items. The instrument was also given to the supervisor for advice and guidance.</p> <p><b>&nbsp;</b></p> <p><b>&nbsp;</b></p> <p><b>1.5.6 Reliability of the Instrument</b></p> <p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; To test the reliability of the instrument for its internal consistency, a test and retest reliability was obtained on the instrument. At first, the research instrument (questionnaire) was administered to the respondents. After a week, the questionnaires were rearrange to make it look different. It was then re-administered to the same set of respondents. This is to compare the responses to each respondent on both occasion to validate the reliability of the research instrument (i.e. questionnaires). The reliability co-efficient index indicates high posture correlation of 0.76 between the two tests. This suggests that the instrument is highly reliable.</p> <p><b>1.5.7 Method of Data Analysis</b></p> The questionnaire was administered and received by the researcher then data collected from the questionnaires were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0. The data was analysed using simple&nbsp;frequency-percentage tables for each questions as a descriptive analysis. This is to reveal the respondents opinions on the perceived prospect and problems in teaching business studies in secondary schools. Also, the research hypotheses were also tested using the T-test analysis. <br><p></p>