CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Education, according to Coombs (2000) consists of two components. He classified these two components. He classified these two components into inputs and outputs. According to him, inputs consist of human and materials resources and outputs are the goals and outcomes of the educational process. Both the inputs and outputs form a dynamic organic whole and if one wants to investigate and assess the educational system in order to improve its performance, effects of one component on the other must be examined. Instructional materials are print and nonprint items that are designed to impart information to pupils in the educational process. Instructional materials include items such as kits, textbooks, magazine, newspapers, pictures, recording, slides transparencies, videos, video, discs, workbooks, and electronic media including but not limited to music, movies, radio, software, CD ROMS, and onlines services. Instructional material plays a very important role in the teaching learning process. It enhances the memory level of the pupils. At this time, education has spread wide and the entirely oral teaching cannot be the key to successful pedagogy; therefore, the teacher has to use instructional material to make the teaching learning process interesting (Nicholls, 2000; Raw, 2003). The use of instructional materials can enhance the learning achievement. Cronbac (2009) states the important elements of behaviour that provides the base for learning theory situations; the situation consists of all the objects, persons and symbols in learner environments. Experiences in situation prepare a person to respond to similar situation in the future. Situation must be created in which learner may feel satisfaction.
Personal characterizes under this heading we include all the abilities and all the typical responses that the person brings to the situation. Use of instructional material can appeal to the individual attention by creating interest. Goal: the goal of the learner is that the wishes to attain. Since goals, direct efforts, the teacher problem of motivation is essentially one of arranging situation with instructional materials in which the learner will see goals he wants to attain. Interpretation: person interprets situation in order to take action if relevant aids are made available it will be easy for a teacher and pupil to predict that what can be expected to happen if various actions are taken. Action: A person chooses whatever action he expects to give him the greatest satisfactions. The use of instructional material can facilitate the decision of a person toward taking right action. Consequence: Action following by their results rewarding and consequences.
If instructional is used, the prediction would be rewarding and consequences will justify the work done by person, he will feel full satisfaction. Instructional material is used efficiently and actively to facilitate the teaching-learning process in most of the advanced countries. However, the situation is not good in most of the developing countries as well as in Nigeria. Firstly, only the lower quality and the less quantity of instructional materials are provided to schools. In this way, the availability of instructional material is very less. Secondly, teachers are not trained properly for using instructional. Thirdly, teachers do not take interest in using the instructional materials. Nigeria government is spending a huge amount of money in the education sector; however, the quality of education is very low. There are many factors that are responsible for this sorry state of affairs. Loss availability and deficient use of instructional material is one of them. This factor needs to be investigated throughout the actual data. Instructional resources which are educational inputs are of vital importance to the teaching of any subject in the school curriculum. Wales (2005) was of the opinion that the use of instructional resources would make discovered facts glued firmly to the memory of pupils. Savoury (2008) also added that, a well planned and imaginative use of visual aids in lessons should do much to burnish apathy, supplement inadequacy of books as well as arouse pupils interest by giving them something practical to see and do, and at the same time helping to train them to think things out themselves. Savoury (2008) suggested a catalogue of useful visual aids that are good for teaching history i.e. pictures, post cards, diagrams, maps, filmstrips and models. He said that selection of materials which are related to the basic contents of a course or a lesson, helps in depth understanding of such a lesson by the pupils in that they make the lesson attractive to them, thereby arresting their attention and this motivating them to learn.
He advocated the use of pictures which will helps children in grounding their thought and feelings. He said that pictures are used as alternatives to real objects where it is impossible to show pupils the real object and they do serve effectively in imagined activities. It is also very vital to have sufficient and adequate human resources in terms of teacher quality for the teaching of all subjects in the school curriculum. Without the teachers as implementing factors, the goals of education can never be achieved. In order to achieve a just and egalitarian society as spelt out in the Nigeria National Policy of Education (2004), schools should be properly and uniformly equipped to promoted sound and effective teaching. Suitable textbooks, qualified teacher, libraries which are adequate should also be provided for schools. Scarcities of these, according to Coombs (2000), will constraint educational system from responding more fully to new demands. In order to raise the quality of education, its efficiency and productivity, better learning materials are needed. Knezewich (2005) also stressed the importance of having appropriate personnel plan and adequate physical facilities to support educational effort.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
It is generally accepted in the world that pupil’s performance is directly influenced by the instructional materials applied. These instructional materials are the key ingredients in learning. Barnett (2002) comments that teachers should cover the materials in the curriculum and prepares pupils for standardized tests. Pupils’ achievement in any teaching and learning situation is very important.
Unfortunately, pupil’s performance in primary schools in Nigeria has not been very encouraging as consistently highlighted by scholars in education for past decade. This problem of poor performance is apparently assuming a dimension that could affect the entire economy situation in the country (Onasanya, 2002). Nevertheless, teachers have neglected the use of instructional materials and in a way they have watered down pupils’ motivation as far a learning is concerned. All these brings about for performance of the pupils. Many pupils are performing poor year after year in their examination and this situation is growing worse. This is turn opens their door to poor life thereafter. This poor performance may be brought by non-innovative teachers who may not want to use the instructional materials in the right way. Unqualified teachers may also bring this problem. In this case it calls for a research to be carried out to find out exactly what the problem is.
