Problems and Prospects of Teaching Economics in Secondary Schools

Problems and Prospects of Teaching Economics in Secondary Schools

CHAPTER ONE

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY   

The general objective of this study is to examine the Problems and prospects of teaching economics in secondary schools in Awka south Local government area. The specific objectives are:

1. To ascertain the effects of teachers’ qualification on teaching economics in secondary schools in Awka south local government.
2. To find out the impact of lack of instructional material on teaching economics in secondary schools in Awka south local government.
3. To examine the effect of poor infrastructure on teaching economics in secondary schools in Awka south local government.
4. To ascertain if Economics teachers in secondary schools are well paid.
5. To find out the influence of teachers to students relationship on the teaching of economics in secondary schools in Awka south local government.

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter reviews the works that are related to the study problem that affects the teaching and learning of economics in senior secondary school in Awka south Local Government Area of Anambra State. This review will therefore take a deep look at the discipline economics and other related issues. This research works in books, journals, internet and related literatures research.

This will be discussed under the following sub-themes:

1. Conceptual frame work of economics.
2. Economics as a teaching subject.
3. The place of economic in the curriculum.
4. Method of teaching economics.
5. Factors militating against the teaching of economics.
6. Factors militating against the learning of economics.
7. Theoretical framework.
8. Empirical studies.
9. Summary of review of literature.

Conceptual Frame Work of Economics

As we have different economists, so also do views on economics differs in their various ways. They view the nature of economics based on their individual understanding of the subject.

Economics is about the choice of peoples and societies have to make. A person might have to choose between buying a compact disc and buying a book. A society might have to decide between providing more health care centers and repairing infrastructures; electricity, good road, pipe borne-waters, etc.

Economics by natures, meets those end by its study on price, costs, interest rate, unemployment, inflation, profit, budget deficit, trade deficit, exchanges rates and so on. But economists sometimes turn their attention to others areas such as crimes, family relationship, war, politics, anthropology and the law.

David (2003), is of the view that economics study how society decides what, how and for whom to produces; goods are physical commodities such as steel and strawberries, service are activities such as messages, life concerts, consumed or enjoyed only at the instant they are produced. In a rare cases, some of the questions about what, how and for whom to produce haves not been answered, until the arrival of a man. Friday, Robinson Crusoe can ignore the “for whom” question. In general, however, society must answer all these questions.

By emphasizing the role of society the nature of economics places economics within the social sciences, the science that study and explain human behaviour. The subject matter of economics is human behaviour in the production, exchange and use of goods and services. Economics in nature studies central economic problem ford society is how to reconcile the conflict between people’s virtually limitless desires for goods and services and the scarcity of resources (labour, machinery and raw materials) with which these goods and services can be produced.

Awoke (2000:1), sees economics as the study of how man allocates their scarce resource to provide for their various wants or needs. As a science which studies human behaviour in the disposal of scarce goods. Robbins concluded by postulating that human beings exhibit four fundamental characteristics which are all embodies in the above definitions.

1. Man has various ends or wants to serve
2. His means of satisfying these ends such as times and money at his disposal are limited resources.
3. Those limited means are capable of being paid to alternative uses
4. Man, therefore, exercise choice in distributing theses limited means (resource) between the competitive ends on the basis of relative importance.

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CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHOD

This chapter specifically deals with the research methodology of the study. It includes the following; research design, are of the study, population of the study, sample and sampling technique, instrument for data collection, validation of the instrument, reliability of the instrument, method of the data collection, and method of data analysis.

Research Design

The research design used for this work is survey method. This is because only a part of the population was studied and the findings were generalized to the entire population.

Area of the Study

The study was carried out in Awka south Local Government Area of Anambra state. The local government is made up of eight communities and also comprises ten (10) secondary schools respectively.

Population of the Study

The population of the study comprises the teachers and students of senior secondary schools in Awka south Local Government Area. There are about ten thousand, nine hundred (10,900) students and seventy-five (75) teachers in the senior secondary schools.

Sample and Sampling Technique

The sample used for this study include five (5) selected senior secondary schools in the area in which thirty (30) respondents were drawn from each selected schools. They are ten teachers and twenty students in each selected schools which total one hundred and fifty (150) respondents for the selected five schools.

CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

The essence of this chapter is to present and analyse the data collected from the various respondents from the selected secondary schools in Awka south local Government Area of Anambra state. Each research question will be brought into focus and then analyse using statistical techniques to uphold or reject each in turn. Likest scale of rating strongly agree, agree, disagree and strongly disagree has been used. A total of one hundred and fifty (150) responses from the students and teachers of the selected secondary schools in the said Local government Area of the state were analysed. The data collected were presented in the tables below

Research Question I

How do qualifications of the economics teachers influence the teaching and learning of economics in secondary schools?

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECMMENDATIONS

This chapter deals with the summary of the study, conclusions drawn from the study, recommendations, educational implication of the study, limitations of the study and suggestions for further studies.

Summary Of The Study

This researcher is centered on the factors affecting the effective studying of economics in the secondary schools in Awka south Local Government Area Anambra state. It has identified that employment of qualified economics teachers, improvement in the available instructional materials and method of teaching will enhance the teaching and learning of economics in the secondary schools as well as improve the students’ performance in the subject. Based on this, recommendations are made on how to facilitate teaching and learning of economics in Awka south Local Government Area of Anambra state.

Educational implications Of The study

This study revealed   that the school requires specialist in the area of economics in order to achieve the various objectives which include acquiring knowledge of the operating system of the economy and the maximization of scarce resources for optimum result.

The study also revealed that more economics concepts should be incorporated in the curriculum of the relevant knowledge which is an essential requirement to personal contribution to the betterment of mankind.

Limitation Of The Study

1. It was observed that some of the respondents were reluctant and dishonest in filling the questionnaire thereby made it difficult to elicit authentic information from such information.
2. Most of the schools were situated in remote areas that were not motorable thereby threatening the accessibility of such schools.
3. Lack of fund and short period required for the study.

However, the researcher was able to carry out this study despite these problems.

Recommendations

Based on the findings of the study the researcher made the following recommendations:

1. Employment of economics teachers by the government through the ministry of education should be strictly based on merit so as to make it possible for only those who studied the course to be appointed.
2. The government should try as much as possible to organize from time to time, seminars, workshops and symposium for economics teachers on contemporary issues in the field.
3. The government should provide instructional materials to schools and teachers should also improve where necessary for economics.
4. More emphasis should be laid on economics as a core subject in senior secondary schools.

 Suggestion For Further Studies

The researcher suggests that further research should be undertaken in the following;

1. How to improve students’ performance in economics in senior secondary school in Awka south Local Government Area.
2. The effects of teaching aids on the teaching and learning of economics in secondary schools.

REFERENCE

• Adeogun, A. A. (2003), Economics of Education, Teaching   Strategies in Economics Lagos; Olatunji Publishing Press.
• Agwu, S. N. (ed)(2001), Teaching in Nigeria; A dynamic Approach: Enugu: Cheston Ltd.
• Aneke, S. (1999), Principles of Economics: Method of Teaching Economics and The Nature Of Economics and Definitions of Economics. Enugu: John Jacobs’ Classic Publishers Ltd.
• Andrew, O. (1988), New Principle and Practice of Education In Nigeria: Teachers’ Teaching Attitude and Learners’ Attitude of Learning, Enugu: Cheston Publisher Ltd.
• Ben, B. & Robert, F. (2001), Principles of Economics: Economics As A Teaching Subject and Nature of Economics, Dalton Library of Congress Publication.
• David, B. Stanley, F. & Rudiger, D. (2000), Economics; Nature and Economics Teaching, The Mccuaw, Hill Companies.
• Egbe, I.(1990), Business and Economics Education: How Economics Should Be Taught. Economics in Relation To Other Subjects. Enugu: Cheston Publisher Ltd.
• Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004), National Policy on Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Lagos University Press.
• Hornby, A. S. (2000), Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary of Current English, 6^th Edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press. National Policy on Education: 3^rd Edition (1988).

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