Social studies is a social science
subject, it is a subject taught at all levels of education. Most of the times,
teachers use conventional methods like storytelling and lecture method in
teaching the subject; As a result, students find it difficult in understanding
the subject. This might be the reason for seemingly poor performance in junior
secondary III external examination. To make the subject more meaningful and
understandable to the learner, teachers are expected to use teaching resources
in
Teaching resource also known as
instructional materials are those tools and equipment that are used in the
classroom by the teacher in order to make the lesson or topic clear and more
understandable to the student (Ukwu,2004). Teaching and learning of subjects in
the secondary schools and social studies in particular with these resources
appeal to the sense organs which create room for more lasting impression in the
students. Adeyemo (1998) opined that teaching resource are the materials or
objects which help the teachers to make a lesson explicit to the students. These
instructional materials transmit ideals, notes, messages and disseminate
information to the students in such a way that will modify their aptitudes,
habits and practice. However, in spite of the benefits of teaching resources
for effective curriculum delivery, not only for social studies but also other
subjects it is regrettable that some teachers are yet to come to terms with the
use of instructional materials in either lesson delivery.
Social
studies which is one of the important subjects offered in the junior secondary
school is very important because it deals with the study of man and his
environment. Ukwu (2004) stated that social studies simple means the study of
man in relation to his social and physical environment.
Odedele and Egotanwa (1999) in their
nature and scope of social studies wrote that man does not live in isolation
but lives among other human beings in the society.’ Society simply means a
group of people living in a particular place or area. Because man lives among
other people, he relates with his fellow men or other human beings as well as interacts
with the environment in which he lives. He influences these environment and the
environments influence him also. For a man to survive in his physical and
social environments workable arrangements must be made between him and his
environments. So, that when faced with new physical conditions, he either
accepts the conditions in which he finds himself or modifies or control those
conditions. Social studies deals with man in his social and physical
environments as well as examines the effects of science and technology on both
environments. Every day, problems arise in our different societies but with
knowledge of social studies we are able to overcome these problems. Social
studies enable us understand our society, identity its problems and help us
find solution to the problems.
Statement of the Problem
Expectedly
there are problems associated with the use of instructional materials in the
teaching of social studies in secondary schools in Abeokuta South L.G.A of Ogun
state. These problems, no doubt are many and various in nature. Teaching
resource cause a lot of money to acquire and in most cases outside the school
budget, the results of this that either the teacher has not helped the students
to understand the lesson at hand. In addition to this some social studies
teachers in Government Secondary School Abeokuta South Ogun State find it
unwise to incorporate teaching materials in their teaching. Many of them might
claim that even without teaching resource one can still understand his subject
but this is at variance with modern educational demands. Also, there is the
problem of storage facilities for the materials purchased by the school or
supplied by the government or donor agency. The implication of this is that
students themselves damage the materials and steal them. In most cases, these
materials become unusable due to their exposure to the students who measure
them. The problem still stands in question form, what are the effects of
teaching resources on the academic performance of Junior Secondary school
students in social studies in Abeokuta South of Ogun state. To answer this
question the need, for this study become imperative.
Purpose of the Study
The
General purpose of this study is to examine the impact of teaching resources
and students performance in secondary schools in Abeokuta South L.G.A of Ogun
state. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to;
1. Find
out the Teaching resources available for effective teaching and learning in
Secondary schools.
2. Ascertain
whether to use teaching resource affect learning in schools.
3. Find
out whether the inadequate of teaching resource affect the teaching social
studies in classroom.
4. Find
out whether teaching resource enhance student academic performance in social
studies.
Significance of the study
Apparently,
a study of this nature will be of immense benefit to following individual; students,
teachers, principals, researcher number of ways. In
the first place, the finding of this study will be very beneficial to teachers
in the sense that it will help them appreciate the deep need of using relevant
teaching resources in teaching and learning, it will help to educate the
teacher on the necessary skill required of them to make a success of using
teaching resources in teaching. Many teachers erroneously view the used of
instructional materials as unnecessary waste of time, so the avoid
incorporating it during the lesson delivery, through this study, they will see
that it is to their own advantage to use teaching recourses as the materials
help to enhance explanation facilitates student’s understanding of the lesson
and help the teacher to cover more within the shortest possible time, because a
picture tells us more than a thousand words. Moreover,
as a result of this study, these principals and proprietors of secondary
schools who do not include teaching resource in their annual budget will start
doing so, since no lesson can be successfully delivered without providing for
the necessary tools to work with. It is
generally know that students learn faster when they see and touch instructional
resource because it helps the student to recall what he was taught while
reading. The student benefit from it because good use of instructional resource
facilitate learning.
Scope of the study
The study
focused on examining teaching resources and students’ performances in Social
Studies in secondary schools in Abeokuta South L.G.A of Ogun State.
Research Questions
For the researcher to be properly guided throughout
this study, the following research questions were formulated.
1. What are
the teaching resources available for teaching social studies in junior
secondary school in Abeokuta south local government area of Ogun state?
2. What
is the effect of teaching resources on the academic performance of junior
secondary school student in social studies?
3. How
does an inadequate teaching resource affect the academic performance of junior
secondary school students in social studies?
4. What
ways can teaching resources enhance student academic performance on social
studies in junior secondary school in Abeokuta South of Ogun State?