ABSTRACT: The examined Teaching Methods and Pre-Primary School Pupils’ Academic Performance in English Language. The quasi-experimental design was adopted as the design for the study. The population was adopted as the design for the study. The population for the study was one thousand and thirty nine pre-primary school pupils’. One hundred pre-primary pupils were randomly selected from four selected public primary as the sample size. English Language Performance Test (ELPT) was used as the instrument for data collection and independent statistical method was employed in analyzing the data collected. Findings revealed that there is a significant difference in the academic performance of pre-primary pupils taught using play-way method of teaching and those taught using conventional method of teaching.
Teaching Methods and Pre-Primary School Pupils’ Academic Performance in English Language
Also there is no significant difference in the academic performance between male and female pre-primary school pupils when taught using play-way method of teaching. Based on the finding of the study, it is recommended that teachers at pre-primary level of education showed always employ play-way method of teaching for effective participation of pupils during class.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The quality and intellectual aims of education in the Nigerian society has become the concern of educationists being looked upon to bring to fruition the attainment of a society backed strongly by future citizens who are conscious and innovatively oriented. Ekanem (2016) added that it is because of this that the teaching activity of the teacher falls under the search light of the larger society.
The National Policy on Education cited in Ekanem (2016) clearly recognized the role of the teacher when it declares that teacher’s education shall continue to be given major emphasis in all educational planning and development. The teaching of English Language in Nigerian pre-primary schools needs to be properly handled.
The strategies methods and materials used by teachers to teach and drive home their subject matter at the pre-primary school level of our education system is in controvertibly a paramour important issue in classroom interaction and successful transfer of knowledge from the teacher to the learners. Play-way technique entails the dramatization of real life situation by pupils. It is a natural method of learning that can take different forms such as modeling, games, dramatization, drawing and painting. According to Uwameiye and Ojikutu (2008), teaching can be defined as the action of a person (teacher) and may also refer to instruction of education performed by teacher (Okon, 2014).
However, Ekanem (2016) has stated that teaching is a complex process in primary school because at this to be even more complex because at this level teachers are dealing with infants who needs more attention. The author added that teachers who teach in primary schools must be made to understand that they have a very important role to play in preparing the youngsters for the greater task ahead in primary schools. Teachers therefore should be able to give good start to the pupils at this level to ensure better academic future of the learners. This then formed the background to this study.
Teaching Methods and Pre-Primary School Pupils’ Academic Performance in English Language
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The act of teaching is fundamentally concerned with passing ideas, skills and attitudes from the teachers to the learners. Experience has shown that spoken words alone in the communication of ideas are grossly ineffective and inefficient in producing desired learning outcome. The mass failure recorded by First School Leaving certificate examination in primary schools which according to the chief examiners report that out of 1,104,13 pupils who registered for the examination only 571,006 obtained pass. (Ekong 2015) the reason for this could be ascribed for the fact that many subjects in primary schools pose serious problems of comprehension to pupils these subjects cannot be taught effectively without relevant instructional method.
On the forgoing, scholars like Meitei and Matora (2014) have investigated on utilization of teaching methods in the pre-primary schools. According to them, we learn and remember 10% of what we hear 40% of what we discuss with others and as high as 80% of what we experience directly or practically. This motivated the researcher to carryout this study in order to investigate whether there is any effect of using play-way method on pupil’ academic performance in pre-primary schools in the study area.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of demonstration and play way methods of teaching in pre-primary schools and pupils academic performance in English Language. Specifically, the study sought to:
- Find out whether pupils taught with demonstration method perform better than those taught with play way method
- Investigate the effect of gender difference on pre-primary school pupils academic performance in English Language when taught with demonstration method.
1.4 Significance of the Study
This research work has the following significance:
- School administration, curriculum planners and the public would find this work useful to them in the area of supervision and recruitment of teaching staff to schools.
- It will specifically be of immense help to teachers when selecting teaching methods to use and improve the academic performances of pupils in schools.
1.5 Research Question
The following research question were formulated to guide the study
- To what extent is the academic performance of pupils taught with demonstration method and those taught wit play way method
- To what extent is academic performance of male and female pupils taught with demonstration
1.6 Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses were postulated to guide the study:
- There is no significant difference in academic performance of pupils taught using demonstration method and those taught with play way method.
- There is no significant difference in academic performance of male and female pre-primary school pupils taught with demonstration method.
1.7 Delimitation of the study
The study was delimited to pre-primary school pupils in Essien Udim Local Government Schools. The study was also delimited conceptually to investigate pupils who study English Language in nursery/primary school level.
1.8 Limitation of the Study
When this research was conducted, the researcher faced challenges due to absence of relevant sources for review of related literature. It was difficult to get alternative checklist to determine strategies used in teaching English language in nursery/primary schools. Financial constraints and lack of research materials was also a limitation.
1.9 Operational Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined in the way they have been applied to the study:
- Teaching Method: it comprises the principle and methods used for instruction implementation by the teacher to achieve the desired learning in pupils.
- Academic Performance: this refers to level of pupils’ achievement in the course of study.
- Demonstration method: is a teaching method used with both large and small group. Its also used in teaching learners how to perform manipulative operations.
- Play way method: is an inductive method of teaching where teaching occurs gradually with fun and frolic which also nourishes the language proficiency effortlessly
