INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS QUALITY ON TEACHING PHONICS IN NURSERY SCHOOL (EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
The fact that phonics is very important cannot be overemphasized. The numerous contributions of phonics to the development of nursery school pupils is well recognized. Phonics is once again a hot topic, and teachers, parents, school authorities, are all talking about it. Everyone seems to agree that we need the best set of teachers to teach phonics, and almost everyone has an opinion about how it should (and should not) be taught. The question regarding teachers quality on phonics is not a new issue, since it goes a long way in influencing the learning ability of pupils. However, Paul McKee (1934), one of the most prominent reading experts of his day,wrote the following:
The question of teachers quality in teaching phonics has aroused a lot of controversy.Some educators have held to the proposition that some phonics teachers are not only futile and wasteful but also harmful to the best interests of a reading program. Others believe that since the child must have some means of attacking strange words, instruction in phonics is imperative. There have been disputes also relative to the amount of phonics to be taught, the time when the teaching should take place, and the methods to be used. In fact, the writer knows of no problem around which more disputes have centered.
When McKee wrote these words, there was little knowledge on which to base decisions regarding teachers quality in teaching phonics. In the decades since, we have accumulated vast amounts of knowledge about how the brain works, how children learn, and how words are structured. In the next chapter, we will first summarize how teachers quality influences the ability of nursery school pupils in learning of phonics.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
There are so many problems which influence teachers quality in teaching phonics in nursery schools in Nigeria.
Inspite other related problems of this study are those caused by congenity clarity. Cognitive clarity is knowing what you are trying to do and understanding where you are trying to go and why you are going there.When you have cognitive clarity about a task, you are more likely to persist in your efforts because you anticipate the goals you will eventually reach.
