An Investigation Into the Relationship Between Teaching Methods and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Nigeria
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are;
- To assess the relationship between the use of discussion method and academic performance of students.
- To examine the relationship between the use of demonstration method and academic performance of students
- To ascertain the relationship between the use of lecture method and academic performance of students
- To determine the relationship between the use of questioning method and the academic performance of students.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
CONCEPT OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
Teaching is a concept central to education and any academic setting. There are various definitions of teaching as well as many activities that are involved in the teaching and learning process. Nzeribe (2002) defined teaching as the conscious and deliberate effort by a mature or experiences person to impact information, knowledge, skills and so on to an immature or less experienced person, with the intention that the latter will learn or come to believe what is taught‘. On the other hand Wikipedia-free encyclopedia (2011) explained teaching to mean ‗the various types of principles and methods of educating or instruction that is used to impact knowledge and skills on students by an instructor‘. While Tharp and Gallimor (1991) defined teaching as ‗assisted performance beyond the zone of proximal development‘ (assisting learners to perform beyond their current capacity). In view of the above assertions, teaching can be defined as a systematic activity designed by a teacher or instructor to facilitate learning in order to enable learners construct worthwhile knowledge and skills . Teaching is an academic process that involves two groups of people: the teacher/instructor and students/learners and information which include knowledge and like that are transmitted. Due to these activities involved in teaching the concept of teaching are preferably discussed as teaching and learning. According to Sawa (2002) teaching and learning are considered as two sides of a coin, because teaching is meaningless without learning. Hence, teaching without learning is considered mere talking, for teaching to be meaningful it must be effective in promoting knowledge skills and values. In view of this, a document by Shawnee State University (2001) stated that the accepted criterion for measuring good teaching is the amount of learning outcomes demonstrated by the school age learners and also through the perspective of learners‘ engagement in the teaching and learning process. Shawnee State University (2001) therefore characterized effective teaching as: (a) teaching for understanding – teaching in ways that help learners understand ideas and perform proficiently and (b) diversified – teaching in ways that would help diverse learners to find productive path to knowledge and constructively also.
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 investigation into the relationship between teaching methods and academic performance of secondary school students in Nigeria
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 investigation into the relationship between teaching methods and academic performance of secondary school students in Nigeria. 200 staff of selected secondary school in Ibiono Ibom local government of Akwa Ibom 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.
DATA ANALYSIS
The data collected from the respondents were analyzed in tabular form with simple percentage for easy understanding.
A total of 133(one hundred and thirty three) questionnaires were distributed and 133 questionnaires were returned.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain an investigation into the relationship between teaching methods and academic performance of secondary school students in Nigeria. 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 an investigation into the relationship between teaching methods and academic performance of secondary school students in Nigeria.
Summary
This study was on an investigation into the relationship between teaching methods and academic performance of secondary school students in Nigeria. Four objectives were raised which included: To assess the relationship between the use of discussion method and academic performance of students, to examine the relationship between the use of demonstration method and academic performance of students, to ascertain the relationship between the use of lecture method and academic performance of students, to determine the relationship between the use of questioning method and the academic performance of students. 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 schools in Ibiono Ibom local government of Akwa ibom 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 were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
In light of the fact that learning is a process that involves investigating, formulating, reasoning and using appropriate strategies to solve problems, teachers should realize that it becomes more effective if the students are tasked to perform rather than just asked to remember some information. A typical learning environment with a presentation from the course teacher accompanied by a lecture neither promotes learners’ participation nor build the required level of reasoning among students. Students build a better understanding of the main concepts more effectively when they are engaged to solve problems during class activities.
Recommendation
McWhorter & Hudson-Ross (1996) found that without new approaches to instruction that connect to the learning needs of students, many will perform poorly and are likely to drop out of studies. Research evidence from previous studies indicates that a student-centered learning environment seems to produce higher-level learning outcomes more efficiently than a traditional teacher-centered environment (Tynjala, 1998). Hence, bias in selection of teaching methods by teachers in areas in which they possess exclusive monopoly knowledge should be avoided to improve students’ academic performance (Adunola, 2011). Therefore, teachers should create an atmosphere conducive to learning in order to enhance the development of students’ learning experiences. Moreover, teachers should also increase their knowledge of various instructional strategies in order to keep students engaged and motivated throughout the learning process.
REFERENCES
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- Anyigbo, S. C. (2005). Effects of Guided Discovery Method, Cognitive Styles and Cognitive Development on Senior Secondary School Students‘ achievement in Physics. Unpublished M. Ed Thesis Department of Science Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
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