Abstract: This study examined Utilization of Improvised Instructional Materials and Effective Teaching of Agricultural Science among Primary School Pupils in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area. To achieve these objective null hypotheses were formulated to give the study a guide, the hypotheses were derived from the specific objectives of the study, and the survey research design was adopted. The population of the study comprised 1627primary four pupils in the study area. A sample size of 200 respondents was chosen for the study using simple random sampling procedures. The instrument for data collection was Agricultural Science achievement test (ASAT). Data collected from the study were analyzed using t-test statistics. The results showed that utilization of improved instructional materials is the most effective ways of teaching Agricultural Science.
Utilization of Improvised Instructional Materials and Effective Teaching of Agricultural Science among Primary School Pupils
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Successfully management and realization of objectives of teaching and learning to a large extent can be attributed to many factors. Some of these factors include the personality of the teacher, classroom building, learner’s characteristics, availability and effective utilization of instructional materials as an integral part of teaching, and learning in classroom situation among others.
This is to say that method of teaching will be grossly incomplete where instructional materials are left out. It is pertinent to use teaching materials that can be made available in school specially in the primary school in order to make teaching and learning more effective, real, purpose and meaningful.
Instructional materials according to Emma and Ajayi (2004) are those things which help teaching learning process. It helps to promote understanding of the concept and generalization by making the lesson practical and realistic. Any teacher who has the interest of the pupils at heart is bound to make his ways and means he will employ to make his teaching and learning process more effective and more interesting to the pupils.
According to Odue (2011), agricultural science is the process of acquiring practical knowledge for self-reliance and the national economy. Agriculture is the sum of all experiences on vocational skills, development of desirable attitude, practice and knowledge of individuals. The emphasis in agricultural science also includes a teaching and learning transaction between agricultural science teacher and recipient or pupils.
According to Adenoyi (2000), the use of instructional materials is to communicate more permanently and information is retained when supplemented with aide. Certainly instructional materials when carefully selected and skillfully utilized will make learning more effective. It is believe that learners can achieved more if given the opportunity to use improvised materials on what they have being taught in the classroom.
Onwuka in Odo, Ede and Ezike (2008) stated that, one of the most important task of teacher is to arrange and present their lessons topics or learning experience in such a manner that they would have meaning to the learners both presently and in the future while striving to achieve this major objective teacher also bear in mind that all done in the name of education is expected to bring about changes in human behavior, attitude, skills and belief. The use of teaching aides and improvised instructional materials helps pupils learns fast, comprehensively and makes the actual teaching job easier and time saving.
However, man and animal possess the necessary abilities for learning. In other words they are potential learners. Certain factors within and outside the learner determined how effectively each individual learns. They are internal when they lie within the individual and external when they lie outside the learner or individual as the case may be. Instructional materials can be in different forms such as textual and non-textual, the visual, the auditory and audio-visual.
Witwoth and Benson (2003), indicates that there is a need for research on the utilization and effectiveness of instructional materials in agricultural science classroom that would enhance its teaching with the concerns in mind and the educational development in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, this study is carried out to address the issues of the utilization of improvised instructional materials and effective teaching of agricultural science among primary school pupils in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.
Utilization of Improvised Instructional Materials and Effective Teaching of Agricultural Science among Primary School Pupils
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The use of instructional materials in Agricultural science instructions has been widely researched but many questions still remain unanswered. The need for exploring locally available materials in our schools and resourcefulness of the teacher must be in line with the learners’ curriculum and environment, so that classroom teaching does not have to be retarded by lack of funds.
Hence, government must strike to develop her local technology in all its ramifications since agricultural science is interested in providing solution to man’s problems holistically. Many writers in agricultural science have printed out the grossly unavailability of instructional materials during classroom teaching and learning situation. The problems are that instructional materials not available in our schools, teachers are not improvising and reluctant in using them.
Thus, in this study the researcher attempts to investigate the utilization of improvised instructional materials and effective teaching or agricultural science, among primary school pupils in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.