EFFECT OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ON TEACHING AND LEARNING IN NURSERY AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this research work is to examine the extent to which the Mater-Dei Nursery and Primary School in satellite town utilize quality and adequate instructional materials in classrooms and how this has promoted teaching and learning of pupils. This research was based on three objectives including: to explore the views of teachers and pupils on the extent to which instructional facilities affect pupil performance, to examine the challenges that teachers in Mater-Dei Nursery and Primary School face in accessing instructional materials and to assess the strategies that teachers use to minimize the challenges of attaining and using quality instructional materials. The study adopted a cross sectional survey design. The study population involved all Mater-Dei Nursery and Primary School in satellite town. Out of 38 Mater-Dei Nursery and Primary School in satellite town 5 schools were randomly selected for data collection. In each school, 5 teachers and 20 pupils filled semi- structured questionnaire. Also heads of each school and 1 secondary district education officer were interviewed. The following were findings of the study: first, instructional materials are the key to teachers’ and pupils’ performance. Secondly, most Mater-Dei Nursery and Primary School in satellite town suffer shortage of essential teaching and learning materials. Thirdly, the study revealed that teachers used different strategies to minimize the challenges of attaining and using quality instructional materials like borrowing books and improvising. The study recommends that the government should budget sufficient funds for improving the availability of instructional materials in all secondary schools. For further research, this study proposes that aspects of how teachers and pupils use instructional materials for effective teaching and learning processes need to be examined.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.6BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The primary school is foundation of the child’s formal educational development. The quality of teaching at this stage will not only influence the child’s rate of learning, but will to a very large extent determine the quality and direction of his academic achievements and career later in life. This underscores the need to make teaching and learning very interesting, stimulating and meaningful to the child. One of the ways of achieving this is through the proper utilization or assessment of instructional materials.

Agugbem E.O. (2008) view instructional materials as the equipment, devices, objects, and formation materials which the teacher uses to facilitate learning process. In other words, they are the specific things used by the teacher in the classroom to make the pupils learn easily and quickly.

Learning process is an expensive article on the part of the pupils but what make it attractive and acceptable is the nature of instructional materials through which the topic is presented by the teacher.   

Instructional materials are important to the teaching-learning process, but often teachers do neglect them during their lesson when instructional materials are used effectively, they help to simplify what is being taught, motivate the learners and make the lesson meaningful. The idea of make teaching and learning meaningful, functional and purposeful is to enable the pupils see what they are to learn clearly and also afford them the opportunity of making use of instructional materials. Learning tend to be more effective when individuals activity participate in learning experience in selecting what he/she is to learn and receive feedback or result soon after response is made having made use of specified instructional materials.

Meaningful learning is said to be possible through the active involvement of a learner in the learning situation. It is what the learner sees or does that he/she is likely to learn meaningfully. In a class where instructional materials are used, the learner is an active participant in the learning process.

1.7PROBLEM STATEMENT

It has been observed by many researchers that most pupils have difficulty in learning and understanding due to lack of instructional materials. It is therefore very important to ensure that instructional materials are used in teaching to arouse pupil’s interest.

In view of the above statement, the researcher aimed to study the assessment of the effect of instructional materials on the pupils.  

1.8PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The aims of this research work are to;

i.                    Assess the effect of instructional materials on the pupils in teaching and learning process.

ii.                 To find out if a better performance can be achieved in using instructional materials toward teaching pupils in Mater-Dei Nursery School and Primary School.

1.9SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY  

The significance of this study will bring into light the importance of instructional materials toward teaching pupils in primary and nursery school.  It is also believed that this study will be useful to teacher, if properly followed i.e. if instructional materials are effectively used in teaching, it will enhance better performances in pupils learning and easy delivery of lesson.

This study will also be useful to NTI Post-Graduate students trainee teachers in the sense that it will aid them develop a positive attitude towards the use of instructional materials.

1.10RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.                  Is there any difference in the academic performance of pupils taught using instructional materials?

2.                  Is there any relationship between the use of instructional materials and attitude of pupils in learning?

3.                  What are the teachers’ interest and attitude towards the use of instructional materials in teaching?

1.6       RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

i.          There is no significant difference in the academic performance of pupils taught using instructional materials.  

ii.         There is no significant relationship between the use of instructional materials and the attitude of peoples in learning.

iii.               There is no significant difference in teacher interest and attitude towards the use of instructional materials in teaching.

1.7       SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study was restricted to only Mater-Dei Nursery and Primary School in Satellite Town. This was done in order to look effectively in the use of instructional materials in teaching and learning process in nursery and primary schools. Furthermore, the researcher intended to assess the effect of instructional materials on the performance of nursery and primary school pupils.

1.8       DEFINITION OF TERMS

1.         Assessment: A process of gathering information and organizing the information obtained into interpretative forms.

2.         Instructional Materials: It is those aids used in any teaching exercise to promote greater understanding of the learning experience.

3.         Teaching: Giving instruction to an individual and practicing the need in order to learn job or skill.

4.         Primary Schools: Education given an institution for children aged between 6-11 years plus.

5.         Educational Districts: Education units of a Local Government Area.