CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The universal basic education (UBE) programme of Nigeria is designed among other things to facilitate the standard of literacy, and improve societal development, the UBE is a nine year programame that cover six years of primary education and three years of junior secondary schools. The three years of junior secondary school is known as upper basic (Basic 7-9).
This upper basic level is aimed at preparing the youths for gainful employment or progression into the senior secondary level and subsequent admission into higher education (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). Undoubtedly, these functions are very essential to the survival, enhancement and development of the Nigeria society. However, the extent to which the upper basic education level achieves the set aims is largely dependent on the various subjects in the curriculum and how they are taught in schools.
Home economics is one of the vocational subject taught at the upper basic level of the Nigerian education system as a compulsory part of the curriculum. It is taught as an integral core subject, which comprises food and nutrition, clothing and textile and home management. Home economics is an interdisciplinary field of study which helps families and individuals to understand and adopt to the effects of social economics, cultural, and technological changes. Archurst and Anyakoha (2004) described it as an applied science subject which is dependent on the integration of different academic disciplines such as the natural sciences i.e. biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and health science. The social sciences i.e. sociology, political science, economics, philosophy, psychology and art in solving problems of families and individuals. Home economics is a skill oriented field of study that is expected to equip learners with survival skills for self reliance/self employment and paid employment.
The importance of exposing learners to home economics curriculum for individual and societal development has been widely acknowledge for instance, Her Majesty Inspectorate of Education (HMIE, 2009) stated that the knowledge and skills gained with home economics make a considerable contribution to young peoples personal and social development as well as prepare them for the world of work in a wide range of areas retarded to aspects the subject. It provides learners with opportunities to develop knowledge and in both theoretical and practical aspects of livelihood (ministry of Education and Skills Development, 2012). The acquisition of such knowledge and skill has the capacity to argument, inspire productivity and further income generating life endeavors among people. A strong background in home economics curriculums is crucial for many careers and job opportunities in today’s increasingly technologically society.
To accommodate the various multidisciplinary area and skills in home economics, and position it to prepare Nigerian students for global participation, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC, 2008) reviewed and reoriented is curriculum to have a broad scope that covers virtually all aspects of human daily living. According to the NERDEC (2008), the reviewed upper basic home economics curriculum is built on the 9-year basic education philosophy that seeks to provide quality learning experiences and pay attention to the all around development of the individuals.
Among the aims of the curriculum is to provide students with changes in a technological, socio-economic and multi-cultural society, contemporary societal issues have been integrated in the curriculum more practical lesson are introduced, and lessons are organized in modules with specifications on a variety of instructional material including instructional technologies for teaching. It is expected that if properly implemented the curriculum would cater for a diverse range of students abilities help the students to learn practical skills which would be useful to them in higher education or enable them get jobs in industries or other formal sectors of the economy.
Effective implementation of the curriculum would require the use of instructional materials. Opera (2002) sees instructional materials as information carriers designed specifically to fulfill objectives in teaching learning situation. Okeke (2005) is of the view that instructional materials are all the physical (man-made and material that are real and improvised) resources meant to be used by the facilitator in the process of teaching and learning. These materials may be used singly or in combination in some cases, they could be used in an information and formal way.