ABSTRACT: The study investigated Teaching Method and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Physical and Health education. The quasi experimental research design was used and 100 students were randomly selected from a population of all physical and health education students in Junior Secondary Two. The sample students were assigned to two groups (experimental and control) guided discovery method was used with control group. The teaching session lasted for three weeks after which a test on physical and health education was administered to them in their data generated were treated to t-test statistical analysis.
Teaching Method and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Physical and Health
The result revealed that, students taught with guided discovery method performed significantly higher than students taught with lecture method. There was no significant difference in academic performance of male and female student when taught using guided discovery method. Based on the finding of this study it was recommended that teachers should be trained and retrained in the use of modern teaching method and adequate facilities should be provided for effective teaching of physical and health education.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
The facts that economic development of any nation is a function of the level of specific and technological know-how cannot be underestimated. In the secondary schools, science and technology teachers are expected to be knowledgeable in their subjects areas, exhibit flexibilities and show competency in teaching skills which are what made them professionals (Sund, 2000). This is because teaching according to Marri (2004) is a complex activity. During the teaching activity, there suppose to be the selection of teaching method to match up with the overall concepts of education, appreciation of values and the potential of individual learner to cope with the current and fast turnover of intellects (Peter 2008).
The learners need teaching approach where they are taught how to learn than what to learn. In this era of fast communication breakthrough, learners can only learn scientific concepts such as the one found in physical and health education best by analyzing thinking and reflecting on what happened, instead of memorizing and repeating facts in order to learn the skills and develop their potentials (Peter, 2008).
Teaching method needed these days should be capable of allowing the students to think independently and acquire the skills based on reasoned judgment. This requires extensive integration of knowledge within appropriate cognitive structure and the process of meaningful learning in order to develop the ability to apply understanding of scientific knowledge to unique problem (Akpan, 2011). These means that the use of good teaching methods brings about quick understanding of what is being taught in the classroom, develop positive thinking and ability to memories, explain, breakdown any concept taught into its component parts than use divergent thinking to form something unique (Adeyemo, 2000).
However, the use of good teaching methods should also make the student s to view things from aesthetic perspective Talabi (in Peter 2008) pointed out that good teaching methods should foster knowledge, moral, experience and disciplines Peter (2008) observed that these are essential to a good, general and functional education. Suffice to say that good teaching methods should not only be encourage; memorization, retention of facts and ability to recall what was taught should also be emphasize to fast tract permanent storage of information and retrieval when the need arises.
Essentially, the basic elements of teaching are content methodology and methods personality of the teacher and the characteristics or qualities of the learner. Effective teaching is a fusion between sound academic knowledge and profound pedagogical principles which are complex and many (Offurum, 2000).
During lesson preparation, the teacher is expected to make a lot of decision about the type of methods or methods to be use in order to achieve the instructional objectives. A normal lesson according to Peter (2008) should have more than one method. A teacher needs to consider the best and suitable methods for each situation (Osalusi, 2000). This is the only way meaningful facts in some sensitive manner are added to already existing established ideas and concepts by the learner. This arrangement would provide the principles of knowledge acquisition in which the learner already acquires what is provided for association or encourage with various component of new knowledge which is called subsumed source. This act of meaningful learning is governed by the ability to understand the concept, store and retrieve when needed.
It is worth saying that although memorization is indispensable in the learning process; retentive learning can generally be enhanced and assisted by understanding that which governed meaningful learning. This is in line with Bloom (1999) who observed that every child learn particularly assuming in given the right quality of instruction at appropriate time. One of the important variables which have direct bearing on the quality of classroom instruction in physical and health education is the teaching methods adopted in the teaching of the subjects by the teacher. This study is therefore trying to examine whether teaching method have effect on student academic performance in physical and Health Education in secondary schools.
Teaching Method and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Physical and Health
1.2 Statement of the problem
Performance of students who offered physical and health education in both internal and external examinations over the years have come under criticism for the poor academic performances, without taking into consideration the manner, way and extent to which this subject physical and health education is taught in our secondary schools. The standard of teaching has not only failed to achieve the objective of physical and health but has also produced physical and health education graduates at the secondary school level who are not intellectually and professional efficient to meet up the current global scientific trend.
Furthermore, most Physical and Health Education teachers are not qualified and cannot teach to achieve the goals of education of our nation. Some like the pedagogical know-how and in some cases, the teaching of Physical and Health Education is done like the preaching of sermon in the church. This work seeks to evaluate the teaching methods and student’s academic performance in physical and health education.
