ABSTRACT
This study was designed to find out the factors
responsible for pupils poor performance in
in selected primary schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State.
To find out the factors, ten primary schools with numbers of pupils and
teachers were randomly sampled for this research. The instrument used was
questionnaire, relevant literatures from both journals, lecture and books were
reviewed as to find out the opinion of other authors about the factors
responsible for pupils poor performance in. These were trace to the following
factors:
1.
Inadequate
of qualified and experienced teachers.
2.
Wrong
method of teaching and lack of
sufficient literature materials
3.
Teachers
poor motivation
4.
Lack
of test books in primary schools
5.
Lack
of interest and unconducive environment, etc
From the above findings, the following
recommendations were made to improve the pupils performance in .
1.
The
ministry of education should employ adequate number of qualified teachers;
provide in-service training for the teachers in the system.
2.
The
government and the parents/teachers associated (PTA) should jointly provide
schools with sufficient instructional materials and teachers by reducing the
population of pupils from 80 to 40 pupils from easy management.
3.
Teachers should vary their method of teaching
to make the lessons interesting to the pupils.
4.
The
condition of service for teachers should be improved to motivate them by
promoting them when due and early payment of salary.
TABLE OF
CONTENT
Chapter one
Introduction
Background to the study
Statement of problem
Purpose of the study
Significance of the study
Definition of terms
Chapter two
Literature review
Chapter three
Population of the study
Research instrument
Pupils questionnaire
Method of data collection
Method of data analysis
Chapter four
Analysis and interpretation of data
Discussion of findings
Chapter five
Summary, recommendation and conclusion
Summary
Recommendation
Conclusion
Suggestion for further studies
Bibliography
Appendix
CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND OF
THE STUDY
Oredo
Local Government Area is one of the areas that make up Edo State of Nigeria.
The investigation is concerned with the primary schools and junior secondary
schools. At this level of education all students offer. The study of has a tremendous role to play in the
development of a country. It is concerned with the development of a country. It
is concerned with the development of a responsibility for the socializing and
humanizing of the child. The focus of this objective is the inculcation of
these desirable norms, values, attitudes and behaviour in the growing child to
make him fit into the society.
In the light of the above, the objectives of in
primary schools and junior secondary schools cannot be overemphasized.
According to the national policy on education,
in Nigerian primary schools and junior secondary schools should aim at;
1.
Developing
the right citizenship as a basis for effective participation in contribution to
the life of the society.
2.
Developing
in the child the ability to adopt to his changing environment
3.
Inculcating
character and moral training and the development of sound mind
4.
Beside,
the primary school child should develop appreciation of the dignity of man and
liberty
5.
Developing
sense of sympathy and compassion for the less fortunate members of the society
6.
Develop
sense of respect and tolerance of the opinions of others even in disagreement,
and
7.
Develop
willingness to accept necessary changes
In purchase of these objectives, the study of,
create in the individual the awareness to restructure their goals and
objectives in line with the acceptable norms and rule of the society. This will
lead to the attainment of a just and egalitarian society, a united, strong and
self-reliant nation. Today, the national policy on education in Nigeria clearly
spelt our status of, particularly in the primary and junior secondary schools.
It is to be offered by;
Federal republic of Nigeria: National Policy on
Education, Nigerian education research council press, 1981-the pupils as a core
subject, implying that, they cannot afford to dispense with it. What needs to
make one thoughtful here is that inspite of the present emphasis on science and
technology in Nigeria, the national policy on education has given a place of
eminence in the scheme of things.
The investigator, aware of this tremendous
importance of the study of to the
individual and the entire community decided to embark on a study of the
problems associated with the teaching of , taking primary school in Oredo Local
Government Area of Edo State as a case study.
STATEMENT OF
THE PROBLEM
The role
of in a developing nation like Nigeria
cannot be over emphasized. Suffice it to say that a good knowledge and
application of principles of by the
citizens of this country will be a great benefit to the nation as a whole. It
is a known fact that have not been given
a due recognition as a core subject in the past but only now. As a result of
recent inclusion in the curriculum as a core subject, there is bound to be
factors associated with the teaching and learning of . This investigator wants
to look into, such problems militating against the effective teaching and
learning of the subject is the acute shortage of the professionally qualified
teachers. The number of unqualified teachers our schools is alarming and there
is no denying fact that effort effective teaching of any subject is predicated
on the caliber of people charged with the responsibility of teaching the
subject. Apart from the fact that these set of teachers are not professionally
qualified, they care less about teaching personal business at the expense of
the children in Oredo L.G.A. Teacher in primary schools is a factor responsible
for pupil’s poor performance in .
According to Daily Times opinion, the survey carried
out by the National Teacher Institute in November, 1983 showed that out of 300,
000 teachers in the country, 200, 000 a clear two third were unqualified. A
pupil trained by quack teacher under bamboo tree or a shade without the barest
facilities, we believe is likely to be denied the self fulfillment and
confidence that an adequate education give. In schools where there are enough
qualified teachers to handle the various subjects, the performance of the
pupils differs from those schools with less qualified teachers.
According to Akor (1980), he said that the important
of well-qualified and experienced teachers cannot be overemphasized. They are
the essential ingredients needed by pupils to learn effectively.
Dr. Titus Olikhens, one time Bendel State
commissioner for education, in his article stated that ‘shortage of qualified
teachers, insufficient provision of instructional materials and teaching
methods and lack of incentives for the study were problems militating against
the achievement of the objectives of .
Norman,
A. pebble argued that one of the things affecting the effective teaching
of teachers to provide better
explanation which is traceable to their lack of adequate concept and research
method’.
M. B. Oguniyi et al write that ‘many teachers
of are not trained. The few trained and
qualified ones hardly stay as classroom teachers as they find other forms of
employment or to higher institution of learning. Combei and Keeves reported
qualification and previous experience, perception of professional role;
responsibility goal and interest affect the teaching of . In this context,
schools with N.C.E. graduates teachers
tend to have better primary six certificate and junior secondary school results
than schools with grade II teachers.
Another
Problems Noted is Lack of Textbooks
Lack of textbooks is another factors that are
responsible for poor performance in . There are no enough and comprehensive
books for both the teachers and the pupils or students to use. As a result of
non-availability of authentic textbooks, teachers do not give vivid information
to the pupils or students in Oredo L.G.A. The few available ones are out-dated.
M. B. Oguniyi et al stated that acute lack of
textbooks and other printed materials are inadequate. Funds are not also made
readily available for teachers to purchase basic materials needed for
improvising apparatus. Also, writing along the same line, I. B. Otitoju stated
that many students teachers are likely to find themselves in schools where
there are no text books and instructional materials and the students teachers
are expected to perform the miracle of teaching pupils , that improvised
materials will be of help to the teacher and the pupils. The inability of teachers to make use of improvised materials
kills the interest of pupils staying the subjects.
The method of
teaching
The method of teaching is another factor responsible for poor
performance.
Bajah in his book said that ‘ teaching at all levels
of the country is out dated. The norm is the traditional approach with the
teacher at the center of activities and with memorization as the prima means of
learning. Although memorization has its place, it cannot on its own arouse the
pupil’s real interest and imagination, nor can it capture their involvement in
the process of learning.
According to Abdullahi (1982), he sated that
‘inspite of orientation courses, some teachers still go back to their schools
to teach by the lecture method or textbook method. in this regard, schools
where teachers vary their methods of teaching, the pupils tend to
understand more than schools were the
teachers use the lecture method to impact knowledge to the pupils. Different
method of teaching help to cater for the different abilities of pupils in class
and more able to understand better’.
According to Maduabum, it is essential for nay
teacher of to became acquainted with
teaching methods that will help pupils achieve learning objectives’. Commenting
further, he said that several methods exist which teachers can utilize to ensure effective
learning, such method include demonstration method, discussion method, project
method, field trip, play away method etc.
According to Essien (1978) p. 81, he therefore
enumerated some common faults in the teaching of in primary schools and junior secondary
schools;
·
Lack of preparation
·
Lack of interest by teachers
·
Attempting too much problems in the lesson
The size of
the classroom
Following the introduction of the Universal Primary
Education (UPE), programme into the country, this caused a gigantic increase in
pupils population in primary schools. Some schools have almost eight hundred
pupils on roll. However, there is no doubt that less time is available for
individual attention to the pupils. In most of the classroom, where group work
is done, the classes are so noisy and rowdy and the teachers are unable to
control the pupils. Such a situation does not allow for effective learning. Due
to the number of pupils in the classroom, the teachers use much of the time
meant for teaching in controlling the pupils, as such, much work is done in
short time because the teachers will now try to teach every thing fort the
period in less time. There will be no time left for the teacher to pay
attention to individual pupils with individual difference. This does not give
room for effective teaching of and it
affect the performance of the pupils in .
Pupils Lack of
Interest and Unconducive Environments
Unconducive environment and lack of interest affect
their performance in schools. S. G. Tunde (1987) in his lecture said, students
tend to shy away and become frustrated from the subject because of their poor
and this makes them to be weak academically and others think that social
sciences is very easy hence little or no attention is paid to the subjects in
the classroom.
A. M. Maduabum (1984) in his book titled
“Teaching effectively” said ‘pupils come
from different socio-economic background. Some may come from rich family, some
from poor families and others from what may be regarded as middle class homes.
A pupils performance in school is subject to modifications by the amount of
time and the kind of home environment to study in the extra moral activities in
which he participate and the manner in which he spent his leisure time, all of
which are largely dependent upon the socio-economic status of his parents. For
instances, a child who hawks rice, banana, beans after school, and come back
home fatigues is not likely to perform better than one who is provided with
extra coaching courses at home after school and has a good time to study in a
relatively stimulating intellectual environment. He further added that a
learner’s entry behaviour is his previous background knowledge, which is
related to the lesson at home. It facilitates their understanding of the new
lesson if he is reminded of it. He further said that ‘the failure of pupils to
grasp complex concepts was due to lack of appropriate cognitive preparation’.
Lack of sufficient instructional materials: lack of
sufficient instructional materials generally hinders the teaching and learning
of . This fact cannot be over-emphasized, as instructional materials are the
only way open to teaching of to support
verbal illustration to sustain the pupil interest for a considerable length of
times.
M. A. Maduabun pointed out that if is to be properly learned, the classroom for
sole reliance on the inadequate school resources will create an undesirable
class majority, he therefore suggested that it is described that teacher should
endeavor to improve the quality of their teaching through improvisation, so as
to make learning a bit more pleasurable act effective. With the proper use of
these materials, teaching can be made more meaningful and concrete. The mere
use for these materials however, does not guarantee effective teaching. It is
therefore carefully selected and skillful handling of these instructional
materials by the teachers that will render useful teaching and learning.
M. B. Ogunniyi et al stated that there is active
shortage of textbook and other printed materials in our schools. He said that
funds are not also made readily available to purchase basic materials needed
for improvising, many teachers do not feel motivate to teach.
Teacher’s Poor
Motivation
Teacher’s poor motivation is another factor
responsible for pupil’s poor performance in .
The frequent strikes by teachers in Oredo L.G.A. of
Edo State as a result of poor service conditions clearly shows that teachers
are not motivated to teach well. A poorly motivated teacher will teach the subject poorly.
According to M. B. Ogunniyi many teachers of are not trained in the subject, the few
trained and qualified ones hardly stay as classroom teachers as they find some
other forms of employment or go to higher institution, because they are not
motivated.
Teachers salary are not always paid on time. A
hungry teacher will not be motivated to teach.
The
Personality and Disposition of Teachers
The personality and disposition of teachers for a
long way in affecting the social and moral behavior of the pupils or students.
The teachers themselves lack the social qualities they want to the pupils to
have. Most teachers in this local government are behaves contrary to the
expected norms and values of the society. In attempting to find solution to the
above problems, the investigators decided to look at the following specific
questions;
1.
Does
the quality of teachers influence academic performance?
2.
What
role does teachers prepared noted play on academic performances?
3.
What
role does textbooks play on academic performance?
4.
Does
teachers personality and disposition influence academic excellence?
PURPOSE OF THE
STUDY
The study is aimed specifically at analyzing and
diagnosing the problems or factors responsible for pupils poor performance or
factors responsible for pupils poor performance in , and also seek at providing
suitable suggestions that will help improve the teaching and learning of in primary and junior secondary school in
Oredo L.G.A.
It is hoped that the findings of this project work
will be immense benefit to teaching
throughout the Local Government Area, since they will be exposed to the factors
responsible for pupil’s poor performance in
which is bordering the development of
education. Thus, enabling them tackle effectively such problems in time.
SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
This study hopefully will be useful to teachers in Edo State in general and Oredo
L.G.A. in particular. The result of this finding will guide the classroom
teacher on the methodology to follow when teaching . it will also be of
importance to the pupils as their ability will be improved in relation to their
cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. There will an improvement in the
pupils thinking ability and their creation skills. It will equally to along way
in reforming the individual and making them to conform to the norms and values
of the society. In a nation building and national reconstruction for social and
economic emancipation of the individual and the Nigerian society.
Besides, it will also inculcate in the pupils spirit
of enquire and creativity though the exploration of nature and the local
environment. Fro example, make them know the objects around, and what they are
used for.
DEFINITION OF
TERMS
can be defined as the study of man and his
social and physical environment. It is also how man influences the environment
and how the environment in turn influences mankind.