CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The foundational history of the use of photography could be traced to 1950’s when the photo type block for copying line subjects, engraving manuscripts and photographic reproduction into books was invented. Ogedengbe (2002) reports that colour photo prints can be a source of help to students in Secondary Schools to develop the ability to compose effectively and increase the performance level in their studies. Rheinhold Thiele’s (2000) supports the adoption of photograph unto teaching and learning. She was a press photographer who made photo prints of six hundred and eleven (611) subjects of the Natal Campaign for the Navy and the Army. She also covered the Russo-Japanese war and the Boer war. And many of the documented photographs that were left over were later adopted for educational purpose with more research works into the uses of photography especially for teaching and learning purposes. Learners’ academic performances have been increased through the use of photography. Bower and Spaulding (2000) in a research study on simple reading materials concluded that a sequence of picture can be effectively used for communicating new idea and to increase learners’ performance if the pictures are used together with verbal face to face explanation.
Fonsesca and Karle (1960) explained that recognizable and familiar objects presented in a sequence of photo prints enhance comprehension and better performance. Travers (2003) shows that photographic prints can be used to improve the performance of a lawn tennis player. According to Hudson and Hector (1963) photography and pictorial illustration accompanied with verbal explanation have increased the level of performance of cocoa farmer in Ghana. Sofowora (1994) contributes that the comprehension of a process involving series of actions is possible if photographs are used.
Chaplain (1960) working on a science education research project contributes that instruction when given largely with numerous sequence of photo prints helps to convey adequate scientific information and instruction. Photographic study thus offers an excellent opportunity for learning the challenge of accurate description.
Arundale (2005) reports from his study that learners were able to retain a great part of the lesson content when oral teaching are linked with a sequence of photographs. It also shows that the students in the experimental group performed better and were able to recall the various experiences they acquired in their projects than those in the control group. Spaulding (1955) was of the opinion that colour photo prints are real life situation that help the retention of what has been learnt. Adeosun (1986) explained that students that were exposed to pictures were able to retain and recall a greater part of the lesson content than those that were taught without the use of picture.
Franden (1961) showed that a sequence of pictures and pictorial illustration make learning real, more meaningful and reinforces the learning materials for easy assimilation and retention. John and Litcher (2000) in their experiment concluded that four months after exposing the students to multi-racial pictures the attitude of the students changed towards other races.
Working with photographs also adds another layer of complexity to the lessons, because every photograph was created at one point in time, in a particular place, of a chosen subject, by a particular photographer, for a specific purpose, and using a particular technology. All these elements has made learning an unforgettable experience when adopting the photography teaching method.