An Evaluation of Instructional Resources in the Effective Teaching of Geography
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are;
- To ascertain the Materials to be used in the teaching-learning situation
- To ascertain the When to use instructional materials
- To ascertain the necessary for the Geography teachers in our secondary schools to inculcate the habit of using instructional materials
- To ascertain the benefits of using models and maps as instructional materials in Geography lesson
- To know the consequences of using audio-visual instructional aids in Geographical studies
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
IMPORTANCE OF GEOGRAPHY IN CURRICULUM
According to KCSE regulations and syllabus (1999) within the limit of Geography teaching, the Ministry of Education gives special emphasis to practical Geography thus the importance of teachers and students utilizing material resources in the teaching and learning of Geography. The syllabus builds on the knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired at the primary schools level, at the same time prepares the learners for further studies. In the syllabus, fieldwork, map work photograph and statistical methods are emphasized so as to equip learners with practical skills. The teaching of Geography like any other subject in the school curriculum requires some educational insight which will be useful to the child, even after school. The present teaching however, places undue emphasis on examination and leads to narrow academic formalism.
STRATEGIES OF TEACHING GEOGRAPHY
Teaching strategies are processes or ways and means which the teacher uses to arrange learning experiences for the students. According to Gerlach and Ely (1971) there are two main teaching approaches or strategies i.e. expository and heuristic. However, teaching methods fall between the two approaches. Ayot and Patel, (1992), assert that teaching methods are in a continuum within these two extremes. The methods range from teacher-centered approaches such as the lecture method to learner-centered approaches such as the project method. There is a wide range of methods to choose between these two strategies and: any method used by any teacher, any time will be within these two extremes (Ayot & Patel, 1992). Many teachers put a lot of emphasis on the learner-centered approach to education, though a combination of expository and heuristic approaches can bring satisfactory results in teaching and learning. Shiplen and Fleck (1968), feel that the most effective way of making teaching interesting is by combining different procedures or methods in a lesson. To support this Majasan (1995), says that a well qualified teacher: must vary his method between these two extremes to suit his/her pupils subject matter and the environment. Twoli et al, (2007), state that while the teacher is planning for content, the approach or method has to go with the resources that go with the lesson activities.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought an evaluation of instructional resources in the effective teaching of geography
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information an evaluation of instructional resources in the effective teaching of geography. 200 staff of selected secondary schools in Iwajowa Local government Area of Oyo State was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was on an evaluation of instructional resources in the effective teaching of geography. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of evaluation of instructional resources in the effective teaching of geography
Summary
This study was on evaluation of instructional resources in the effective teaching of geography. Five objectives were raised which included: To ascertain the Materials to be used in teaching-learning situation, to ascertain the When to use instructional materials, to ascertain the necessary for the Geography teachers in our secondary schools to inculcate the habit of using instructional materials, to ascertain the benefits of using models and map as instructional materials in Geography lesson, to know the consequences of using audio-visual instructional aids in Geographical studies. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of selected secondary school Iwajowa Local government Area of Oyo State. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made principals, vice principals administration, senior staff and junior staff was used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
The study findings indicated that teachers play an important role in the teaching and learning process. Thus the limited use of various and appropriate instructional resources is a factor that poses a challenge to teaching and learning of Geography subject. Moreover, the teaching and learning of Geography is affected by the availability of instructional materials in the schools. Instructional resources are important inputs for effective teaching and learning. As noted in the study, most schools lacked instructional materials. An examination of the findings on the extent of teacher‘s use of instructional materials show that, the availability of instructional materials has an impact on the teachers ‗use of the materials in teaching of the subject. It was found that few 28.4% teachers used textbooks and maps in teaching the subject in their schools. However, limited use 31.5% of other instructional materials was noted to some extent in the schools that participated in the study. This could be attributed to the situations in their institutions which dictate the availability of instructional materials that can be adopted for use in instruction to ensure better results in Geography. The availability of instructional materials to a large extent is influenced by the teacher‘s instructional approaches and also determined use in classroom teaching.
Recommendation
Since the study established that the challenge related to the teaching and learning of Geography has to do with the use of instructional materials, the Geography teachers are therefore called upon to consider the relevance of the content, usability, appropriateness in choice and use of teaching materials. It is clear from the study that various teaching methods are effective depending on the purpose of instruction. There is, therefore, need for the Geography teachers to consider such purpose as preparation for exams, enhancing student understanding, realization of lesson objectives and the syllabus coverage in the use of various methods of instruction
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