ABSTRACT: This study titled “Improvised Instructional Materials Utilization and Teaching of Basic Science in Selected Junior Secondary Schools was carried out in Esit Eket Local Government Area”. Three research questions were formulated to guide this study. The study adopted a survey research design. Twenty (20) Basic Science teachers were purposively sampled for the study. A structured teachers’ questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. Improvised Instructional Materials and Effective Teaching Questionnaire (IIMETQ) was used to collect data for the study. The study revealed that improvised instructional materials enhance effective classroom communication between teachers and learners. The study therefore recommended amongst others that teachers should be encouraged both by the school authority and government to improvise instructional materials where the standard ones are not available.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
The importance of instructional materials in teaching and learning of Basic Science cannot be overemphasized. In fact, successful implementation of Basic Science curriculum depends a great deal on the quality and quantity of instructional materials available to teachers and students for use in schools. Instructional materials stimulate learner’s interest; help both the teacher and learner to overcome some limitation during presentation of subject matters.
According to Eya (2004), instructional materials enhance learning and make it more pleasurable. They are used as check to teacher’s knowledge and means of transmission. Instructional materials help teachers to guide, coordinate, supervise and have enough time for correction thereby bringing variety in the classroom.
Instructional materials consist of variety of equipment and materials used for teaching and learning by teachers, to stimulate self-activities on the part of students. These equipments include chalk-board, real objects, models, pictures, chart, television, computers, textbooks, projected and non-projected materials etc. Usman (2002), explained that instructional materials make the lesson clearer for instance, a Basic Science teacher can describe an atom as consisting of electron, proton and neutron, but it is very hard to tell the students exactly what an atom looks like without a picture for clarity. This picture of an atom is an instructional material which helps the students to understand the lesson.
Instructional materials have been found to enhance the quality of the learning experience for learners in many ways. They help students to participate in learning process and help to create a more relaxed learning environment. They provide storage bank for information that can easily be retrieved and used in the classroom.
Inspite of the importance of improvised instructional materials, availability and adequacy of instructional materials in teaching and learning Basic Science pose a problem. This is because the supply of instructional materials to schools is affected by the level of funding of education in this country. Again, student’s population explosion and accessibility to local materials constitute a problem of instructional materials. Also, the inabilities of government to supply the necessary instructional materials to schools pose a problem. Lack of these materials affect the teaching and learning of Basic Science. An attempt to reduce abstract concept in order to ensure that students learn in a given Basic Science lesson led to the improvisation of instructional materials.
Nnabi (2004) reports that improvisation is an act of using materials obtainable from the local environment or designed by the teacher or with the help of local personnel to enhance instruction. Improvisation helps the teachers think and research for cheaper, better and faster method of making the teaching and learning process easier for students thereby promoting creativity and self-reliance. Improvisation of instructional materials is a solution to unavailability and inadequacy of instructional materials in schools and helps facilitate the teaching and learning process.
IMPROVISED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS UTILIZATION AND TEACHING OF BASIC SCIENCE IN SELECTED JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS
1.2 Statement of the Problem
With poor funding of the educational system, it has become increasingly difficult to produce and acquire the necessary instructional materials needed for effective teaching of Basic Science. As a result, a new direction to making instructional materials available has emerged. This trend is expressed as improvisation; it is designed to replace the ready-made ones (Ibe-Bassey, 2008). It calls for the resourcefulness of the teacher in solving a problem (Gbamanisa, 2002).
According to Esu, Enukoha and Umoren (2004), improvisation means the process of making materials out of what is found in the immediate environment for the purpose of facilitating teaching and learning process.
Improvised instructional materials are locally made materials intended to strongly appeal to sight. Improvised instructional materials become necessary due to the acute shortage of teaching materials in the country and the poor status of the school budget. A study by Nwafor (2004), indicated that out of the 2000 students surveyed in Kano State, only 257 representing 12.9% admitted that they were taught with instructional materials. Similarly, Akaya in Buba (2003) in his study of Taraba State pointed out that there was acute shortage of both the printed and audio-visual materials for instruction.
Given the above deplorable condition in our schools, there is a need for the teachers of Basic Science, to use their creativity in providing the necessary materials and also use improvised instructional materials whereby students will be helped to become active learners rather than passive learners.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main aim of this study was to examine the influence of improvised instructional materials utilization and teaching of Basic Science. Specifically, the study sought to:
- Ascertain the influence of improvised instructional materials on the ability of the teacher to communicate classroom instruction effectively to the learners.
- Examine the influence of improvised instructional materials and the time/energy required in effective teaching of Basic Science.
- Assess the influence of improvised instructional materials on the stimulation of teacher’s interest and effective teaching of Basic Science.
Originally posted on May 14, 2021 @ 12:36 pm
