CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Learning is a lifetime process. Continues learning equips one as a student with a larger mastery of knowledge, a broader understanding of facts, a larger repository of wisdom, and a better insight on life that will make better individual responsible and upright human beings. On process of learning, students or learner is the center of education. Studying their different aspects of a student and their ways on attaining such goals will be of great impotance. As such, the extent of student’s learning in academics may be determined by the grades a student earns for a period of learning. It is believed that a grade is a primary indicator of such learning. If a learner earns high grades it is concluded that they may also have learned a lot while low grades indicate lesser learning. However, many experiences and studies found out that there are also several factors that would account for the grades. No single factor can be definitely pointed out as predicting grades. It has been interplay of so many factors – gender, daily allowance, social status, time and interest. (Ijaduola, 2007).
The economic value of education started to generate greater analytical attention, When it becomes clear that a substantial part of economic progress made especially in the early 19th century by the industrialized nations and very recently by the Asian tigers could be attributed to the development of their educational system. (Akande, 2012).
The value of teachers in preparing human ‘being for a useful living is very high and as contained in the national policy on education (1977) reviewed in 1981 that teachers help to equip” students to live effectively in a modem age of science and technology. This has made the growing complexity (in terms of enrolment explosion, resource mobilization and organization) of educational institution, and the increased societal demands for more result oriented schools have made the duties of the staff in the schools to be more critical in organizational behaviour.(Akinlaye, 2009)
Instructional facilities are facilities which assist teachers to make their lessons explicit to learners. They are also used to transmit information, ideas and notes to learners (Ijaduola 2007). Instructional materials include both visuals and audiovisuals such as pictures, flashcards, posters, charts, tape recorder, radio, video, television, computers among others. These materials serve as supplement to the normal processes of instruction.
Economics is an important subject that must be credited by students before gaining admission into any tertiary institution especially the university to study relevant courses like Accountancy, Business Administration, Insurance, etc. The importance and technicality of this subject makes it necessary that relevant instructional materials should be used to teach it to the learners. This fact is supported by Macaulay (2009) who asserts that visual aids make lesson come alive and help students to learn better. He further states that an ample provision of visual and general teaching materials is an evidence of teachers’ preparedness for the lesson. Ehizojie (2009) also summarises the importance of instructional materials as one of the ways of relaxing in the classroom atmosphere, motivating the students and teaching a subject creatively and interactively.
Obviously, teachers attitudes have been shown to have important influence on student’s academic achievement and they also play a crucial role in educational attainment because teachers are ultimately responsible for translating policies into actions and principle based on the practice during interaction with the students (AFE 2001).
The word attitude, which is a manner form of approach, or outlook which must be satisfied. All attitude are directed towards goals and the needs and desire affect or change our behaviour which is goal oriented. Effective job performance results from the interplay of three types of resource, namely physical, financial and human.
Teachers attitudes determines what he “can” do and his motives what he “will” do. The ability can be measured and depends upon background, skills and training. Many factors have contributed to the falling standard of education; some of these factors are shortage of funds into the educational sector, lack of qualified teachers, inadequate educational facilities such as adequate highly ventilated classrooms, well equipped library, and adequate laboratory materials just to mention a few. (Mutebi, and Matovv, 2004)
All these factors have contributed to non-challant attitude ‘towards this study attempts to examine the extent to which the utilization of instructional facilitiescould advance teacher’s attitudes on students’ learning rate and performance in Lagos state schools.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The act of teaching is fundamentally concerned with passing ideas, skills and attitude from the teacher to the learner. In Lagos state, for example experience has shown that spoken words alone in the communication of ideas are grossly ineffective and inefficient in producing desired learning outcomes. Every year, when the results of public examination are released, there has always been mass failure in Economics. The reason for this could be ascribed to the fact that there are topics in Economics that pose serious problem of comprehension to students. These topics cannot be taught effectively without the use of relevant instructional facilities to make the learning practical. On the foregoing, scholars like Brunner, 2011 have emphasized the effect of instructional facilities utilisation on teacher’s attitude and learning. 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 practice. However, the questions here are: does the use of instructional facilitiesreally influence students’ academic performance? Is teacher’s attitude toward teaching effectiveness enhanced by the use of instructional facilities?
Could students’ learning be advanced by the use of instructional facilities? Finding answers to these questions and more summarizes the entire problem of this study.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study includes:
i. To examine the influence of instructional facilities and teacher’s attitude on the teaching in Lagos state Schools
ii. To ascertain the extent to which Secondary School student’s learning can be influenced by the use of instructional facilities
iii. To determine whether there will be any difference in the academic performance of students due to the use of instructional facilities.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
In order to achieve the objectives of this study, the following research questions were raised to guide the investigation:
i. Will the use of instructional facilities influence the teacher’s attitude onteaching in Lagos Stage schools?
ii. To what extent can secondary school students’ learning be influenced by the use of instructional facilities?
iii. Will there be any difference in the academic performance of students due to the use of instructional facilities?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The following null hypotheses were stated for the study.
i. The use of instructional facilities will not have significant influence on theteacher’s attitudes on teaching in Lagos state schools.
ii. The use of instructional facilities will not have significant influence on secondary school students’ learning.
iii. There will be no significant difference in the performance of students due to the use of instructional facilities.