INVESTIGATION ON TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ATTITUDE TOWARDS IMPROVISATION AND THE USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN THE TEACHING OF INTEGRATED SCIENCE

INVESTIGATION ON TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ATTITUDE TOWARDS IMPROVISATION AND THE USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN THE TEACHING OF INTEGRATED SCIENCE

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Background to the Study

The influence of instructional materials in promoting students’ teaching and learning in educational development is indisputable. Teaching at any level requires that the students be exposed to some form of simulation. Ekong (2019) noted that an instructional material in Integrated Science means anything that can assist the teacher in promoting teaching and learning. When the students are given the chance to learn through more senses than one, they can learn faster and easier. The use of instructional materials provides the teacher with interesting and compelling platforms for conveying information since they motivate learners to learn more. Furthermore the teacher is assisted in overcoming physical difficulties that could have hindered his effective presentation of a given topic.

Integrated Science was introduced into the Nigerian school system to achieve one of the philosophies of Nigerian education as indicated in the National Policy on Education which is “the development of the individual into a sound and effective citizen” (Beatrice et al., 2017). The realization of this objective through Integrated Science is possible since the subject is an integrated programme which are taught and learnt in Integrated Science looks at all aspects of the life of the child in the society. It is further stated in the National Policy on Education (2004) that education is to achieve the inculcation of national consciousness and national unity; the inculcation of the right type of values and attitudes for the survival of the individual and the Nigerian society. Therefore, Integrated Science teaching has been a factor in determining whether a society will have democratic attitudes, values, problem-solving and decision-making skills and whether the society will consist of productive and participatory individuals (Bibi & Nawaz, 2020). In Integrated Science teaching, which is given such an important mission; it is possible to make the learning process easy, enduring and meaningful through the use of instructional materials. Branchaw et al., (2020) refers to instructional materials as information repositories from the society sourced to transfer the desired information to the learners during classroom instruction. Harendza, (2020) views Instructional Materials as those apparatus of teaching which may include textbooks, workbooks, charts, audio visual aids, chemicals, specimens and other relevant things that will attract students’ attention, and which should only be introduced at the appropriate time by the teacher.

Instructional materials are software and hardware that are used to make lessons more meaningful and clearer to learners. They are devises that appeal to multi model senses which help the learners conceive, perceive, internalize, interpret and transfer the experiences gained to similar or different learning situations. These materials and equipment, could be those that appeal to the sense of hearing-known as audio material/ equipment those of seeing called visual materials/equipment and those that combine the two senses called audio-visual materials (Beatrice et al., 2017).

The teacher alone cannot provide all the needed condition for an effective teaching and learning process, other supporting materials should be provided. The students learn better when most of the senses are appealed to the instruction and use of instructional materials in Integrated Science education has added a new dimension in the positive promotion of the teaching and learning process. It provides the much need sensory experiences needed by the learners for an effective and meaningful behavioural change. Instructional materials are meant to improve the quality of education for effective learning of students in schools. The performance of the students on the intended learning outcome provide the validation – loop on the success other interaction and instruction (Biasutti & Habe, 2021).

In making use of any instructional materials factors that influence it must be considered, such materials must be previewed that is, having full knowledge of the material; prepare the environment where it will be used; prepare audience by means of making sure that the materials to be used will attract attention, arouse, motivate and provide the rationale that could be used in the beginning, middle or end. The effectiveness of utilizing appropriate instructional materials in teaching and learning of Integrated Science is not void of quality instructor. In order to give quality education to the younger generation, there is need for employment of more competent, experienced and qualified Integrated Science teachers. The need to identify the suitable instructional materials, by which students can be made to comprehend the extent of the subject easily and intelligibly, is the focus of this study (Beatrice et al., 2017). An in depth look at the secondary schools Integrated Science programmes revealed that there is the need for improving all phases of the programmes (Phelps et al., 2021). For example, there is need for the introduction and use of instructional materials and equipments for use in both the classrooms and Integrated Science laboratory. The broad aim of any good training materials are to induce and support the learning process that leads to improve on-the-job performance through affecting changes in the knowledge, attitudes, skills and practices of the learners. With the above reasons, it is worth investigating the influence of instructional materials in the teaching and learning of Integrated Science in our Secondary Schools, for better performance of students in their examination and chosen career in any field of life. If instructional materials are used in Secondary Schools, it would help improving the teaching and learning and hence the learning of students in Integrated Science effectively (Abdullah et al., 2021).

Phelps et al., (2021) maintained that the use of improvised instructional materials could facilitate more learning because such materials have cultural relevance to the learners. Thus, improvisation demands from teachers some degree of resourcefulness, utilization prowess and the resolve to face the challenge of effective teaching with optimism. Espeland & Stige (2021) argued that resourcefulness of the teacher means that he (the teacher) knows “where” to get “what” he wants to enrich his teaching. The idea of improvisation is an adoption and adaptation of innovation in Nigerian schools (Dike, 1989). It should be encouraged at all levels of teacher education because, as Long et al., (2020) noted improvisation sustains and encourages creativity and innovativeness among improvisers. It is however, instructive to note that the absence of instructional materials during instruction has negative consequences on both the teacher and the learner. The teacher is put into several hours of verbalization and sermonization characteristics of the traditional “talk-and-chalk” method. On the part of the students, the lesson is boring, less interesting and abstract, and this negatively affect their academic performance. According to Abdullah et al., (2021), inadequate and poor use of instructional materials has been responsible for students’ poor performance in school subjects (including social studies) in secondary schools.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Poor performance of Students in Integrated Science Public Junior Secondary Schools in Sabon-Gari local government area, Kaduna State may partly be attributed to poor usage or lack of sufficient instructional materials to teach Integrated Science. Abdullah et al., (2021) noted that some students are losing interest in the subject due to the attitudes of teachers towards teaching Integrated Science without the use of instructional materials which tends to affect students’ performance in the subject. Research consistently shows that teacher usage of instructional materials is a powerful determinant of student achievement gains.

Many of the school authorities have very lukewarm attitudes over the provision of needed tools, equipments or materials required for effective Integrated Science teaching. This non-challant attitude tends to retard genuine efforts of some teachers of Integrated Science in the secondary schools (Ibrahim et al., 2021). Inspite of the emphasis being placed on Integrated Science as one of the integrated subjects in secondary schools. Hence, the prosecution of a functional education in relation to Integrated Science in secondary schools still leaves much to be desired. In view of this difficulties, Omale, (2022) opined that most teachers of Integrated Science still resort to the theoretical method of teaching the subject (i.e explaining without an object to make learning real) which makes learning not interesting to learners. This undoubtedly, is contrary to the improvement of Integrated Science education, which is greatly needed at this period of our development with emphasis on practical oriented learning (Adu et al., 2017).  

The spiraling cost of funding education today has created lots of problems in the educational systems, and this is further compounded by poor budgetary allocation to this sector. This situation makes it practically difficult for the classroom teacher to provide even for the barest necessities of teaching and learning – instructional materials. This, no doubt, has some adverse consequences on the teaching and learning of most subjects in the secondary school curriculum including Integrated science. The use of improvised instructional materials has been found by scholars such as Jude (2019), Ahmed (2020), & Charles (2021) as one of the better ways that teachers and students could facilitate more teaching and learning because such materials have cultural relevance to the learners. This will help in overcoming the high cost of purchasing instructional materials for teaching and learning. Improvisation demands from teachers some degree of resourcefulness, utilization prowess and the resolve to face the challenge of effective teaching with optimism. It is therefore imperative to carry out a study on teachers and students attitude towards improvisation and the use of instructional materials in the teaching of integrate science with reference to junior secondary schools in Sabon-Gari local government area, Kaduna State.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The major objective of this study is to investigate teachers and students attitude towards improvisation and the use of instructional materials in the teaching of integrate science. The specific objectives are to:

1. Identify the level of availability of improvised instructional materials being used for teaching Integrated Science in secondary schools in Sabon-Gari local government area, Kaduna State;
2. Examine the adequacy of the improvised instructional materials used in teaching of Integrated Science in secondary schools in Sabon-Gari local government area, Kaduna State;
3. Determine the attitude of teachers and students towards the use of improvised instructional materials in teaching of Integrated Science in secondary schools in Sabon-Gari local government area, Kaduna State;
4. Examine the environmental factors influencing the use of improvised instructional materials in teaching of Integrated Science in secondary schools in Sabon-Gari local government area, Kaduna State;

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions were answered in the course of the study.

1. What are the available improvised instructional materials used in the teaching of Integrated Science in Junior secondary schools?
2. How adequate are the improvised instructional materials used in teaching of Integrated Science in junior secondary schools?
3. What is the attitude of teachers and students towards the use of improvised instructional materials in the teaching of Integrated Science in junior secondary schools?
4. What are the environmental factors influencing the use of improvised instructional materials in teaching of Integrated Science in junior secondary schools?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This research work “teachers and students attitude towards improvisation and the use of instructional materials in the teaching of integrate science” is significant and useful in the teaching and learning of Integrated Science.  Subsequently, the findings from the study will help Integrated Science teachers in choosing an appropriate improvised instructional material(s) capable of releasing students’ tension towards the subject thus improving students’ learning in Integrated Science. It will motivate Integrated Science teachers to develop good attitude and interest towards utilizing suitable improvised teaching materials that will be a possible means towards reducing failure in the teaching and learning of Integrated Science. Findings of this study will also help clarify among the teachers the need for continuous and regular improvisation of suitable instructional materials for teaching and learning of Integrated Science.

Moreover, the results of this study will be of great significance to the Integrated Science curriculum planners. The curriculum developers will find the work useful in reviewing the Integrated Science curriculum by seriously laying emphasis on utilization of instructional materials as well as its improvisation so as to meet up with emerging needs of the society. This study will be of immense benefit to researchers in the field of Integrated Science by forming a basis for further studies on the usage of improvised instructional materials and teachers’ quality.

This study will also be of benefit to principal as they would understand more on where their Integrated Science teachers’ ineffectiveness comes from in the area of instructional material usage and this would set the base for what they can do in order to help the teachers improvise and hence improve their effectiveness toward influencing learners with the use of instructional materials.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is aimed at explaining the teachers and students attitude towards improvisation and the use of instructional materials in the teaching of integrate science, availability of improvised instructional materials influencing learning of Integrated Science, teachers and students attitudes towards the use of improvised instructional materials, and environmental influencing improvised instructional materials usage. Hence, Integrated Science teachers and students in Sabon-Gari local government area, Kaduna State will serve as enrolled participants for this study.

1.7 Limitation of the study

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing to the nature of the discourse thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. More so, the choice of the sample size was limited  as few respondent were selected to answer the research instrument hence cannot be generalize to other secondary schools in Kaduna State. However, despite the constraint  encountered during the  research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

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