Instructional Materials Availability and Level of Use in the Teaching and Learning of

Social Studies in Lagos State Schools.

Funsho Olatunde & Raphael Okusaga

Department of Arts and Social Sciences Education
Faculty of Education
University of Lagos
Abstract
This study examined the availability and level of use of instructional materials in the teaching and
learning of Social Studies in Lagos State schools. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for
this study. The population consists of social studies teachers in Lagos state. Simple random sampling
technique was used in the selection of the 120 teachers from 40 randomly selected schools. Two research
questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The instrument used in collecting data from the
respondents was a researcher developed questionnaire. Data collected was analysed using a combination
of descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The results revealed that, print media and real objects
were more readily available than other instructional materials and are therefore, the most used by
teachers and learners; significant relationship exists between the availability of instructional materials
and the level of use of instructional materials for the teaching and learning of social studies in schools;
significant relationship exists between the quality and quantity of instructional materials and the level of
use of instructional materials in the teaching and learning of Social Studies. Significant relationship
exists between the students’ academic performance and the level of use of instructional materials in the
teaching and learning of Social Studies. Based on the conclusions from the study it was recommended
among others that, Teachers should be encouraged to adapt positively to changes in material uses and
not shy away from it, they should be able to improvise either by substitution or construction; any time the
need arises.
Key words: Availability, Level of Use, Instructional Materials, Teaching, Learning, Social Studies.
INTRODUCTION
National Policy on Education (2004) states that instruction should be concept centred,
activity based and work related. In essence, teachers of social studies who teaches without
any materials to assist him and drive home his point, or engages his learners on any active
participation has, therefore, contravene or goes against the policy statement. The importance
of social studies in the school system goes hand in hand with believes and recognition that
relevant instructional materials are indispensable for the realization of the aims and
objectives of the subject. For a teacher of social studies to realize the aims and objectives of
his/her teaching the subject, he/she must make use of instructional materials in order to
enable him/her make meaningful impact on the learners.
Instructional materials according to Nworgu, (1980) are objects or devices, which enables the
teacher to make a lesson much clearer and understandable to the learner. Ajelabi, (2001)
described instructional materials as concrete or physical objects which provide sound, visual
or both to the sense organs during teaching. Wright (1976) stated that instructional materials
are information carrying devices that constitute an integral component of classroom teaching
and learning and are utilized basically with the hope of developing educational information
very quickly, efficiently and effectively to the learner. The reality of individual differences
among learners has made it necessary that teachers should adopt some measures that will
facilitate teaching in the classroom. One of these measures is the selection of appropriate
materials that will accommodate the needs of different individuals in the class.

The primary aim of instructional materials is to facilitate learning. It also aims at finding
solution to problems confronted by students in the learning of abstract topics. The effective
utilization of instructional materials increases student’s ability to practical thinking,
understanding of basic concepts. Instructional materials possess some inherent advantages
that make them unique in the teaching of social studies. Williams (2005), defined social
studies as “a discipline in which teaching and learning of attitudes, values and skills
overshadow the acquisition of facts and information” Mezieobi (2000) viewed social studies
as “the study of the interactions between man and his physical and social environments, of
the problems and issues posed by these interactions and the way by which man seeks solution
and clarification to them”.

In 1992, the Board of Directors of National Council for social studies, the primary
membership of social studies educators, adopted the following definitions:
Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic
competence. Within the school programme, social studies provides coordinated, systematic
study, drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography,
Social Studies, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion and sociology, as well
as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics and natural sciences. The primary
purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and
reasoned decision for the public good as citizens of the culturally diverse democratic society
in an interdependent world.

Social studies is the study of the interactions between man and his physical and social
environments. It is an integrated approach to the study of social science subjects like music,
art and craft with the view of preparing students to fit into the society. Social studies draw
from the social sciences data that are related to societal values, problems, changing
conditions and our democratic heritage. The department of curriculum development and
evaluation (undated) defines social studies as the study of man, the way he behaves and
organizes in group, his relationship with his physical and social environment and interaction
with them considering the past, present and emerging future. The main goals of social studies
curriculum is that it will develop the students competencies needed for participation in a
democratic society: considering so many perspectives, respecting different values and points
of view and also analyzing information critically so that their views will be communicated.

Okam (2000) defines it as a unit of course or study based on the social sciences e.g.
Social Studies, geography, economics, psychology, government and anthropology. Social
studies came into existence in Nigeria in 1916 when the national education organization
decided that less emphasis should be placed on memorizing factual information and more
preparing people for the future. Such preparation requires that attitudes and skills be taught
along side with knowledge, at this time social studies was considered integrated curriculum
combining the already established Social Studies and geography with newer social studies. It
should be noted that Nigeria inherited the colonial form of education which upon
independence was seen as irrelevant so the need to change the school curriculum for a
relevant one became necessary in Nigeria. Also the agitation to formulate policies and change
the existing curriculum gained momentum among local elites, farmers and concerned
individual. To this end, effort was made to fashion out the type of education future African
citizens should have.
 Social studies on its own is very rich in instructional materials and methods for its
effectiveness. This is true because the whole environment of man with all the things in it
constitute the laboratory for social studies. The dynamic nature of social studies education
makes it paramount for the teachers of social studies to use instructional materials to enable
the students quickly relate their classroom to the environment they live in and interact. Most
often teaching especially in social studies is done with inadequate instructional materials
which will result in learners not understanding the lessons taught and if the lesson is not
understood, it leads to a qualitative failure in examination. From the above, one can gather
that, the use of instructional materials coupled with adequate and effective methods in the
teaching of social studies in the learning situation are very crucial.

Instructional materials possess some inherent advantages that make them unique in social
studies teaching. For one thing, they provide the teacher with interesting and compelling
platforms for conveying information since they motivate learners to want to learn more and
more. Also, by providing opportunities for private study and references, the learners’ interest
and curiosity are increasingly stimulated. Further, the teacher is assisted in overcoming
physical difficulties that could have hindered his effective presentation of a given topic. They
generally make teaching and learning easier and less stressful. They are equally indispensable
catalysts of social and intellectual development of the learners.
Instructional materials are integral components of any teaching-learning situation. It is not
just to supplement learning, but to complement its process. They are therefore indispensable
factors in the teaching-learning process. Ordinary words or verbalization has been found to be
inadequate for effective teaching. Instructional materials serve as a channel through which
message, information, ideas and knowledge are disseminated more easily. They can therefore
be manipulated, seen, heard, feet or talked about. They facilitate activities. They are anything
or anybody the teacher turns to for help in his learning process.
According to Aina (2000) instructional materials are those materials or resources used in
any teaching exercise to promote greater understanding of the learning experiences. They are
used to "provide the richest possible learning environment which help learners and the
teachers to achieve specific objectives". Instructional materials which are educational inputs
are of vital importance to the teaching of any subject in the school curriculum. Wales (1995)
was of the opinion that the use of instructional materials would make discovered facts glued
firmly to the memory of students. Obebe and Olatunde (2005) also added that, a well-planned
and imaginative use of visual aids in lessons should do much to banish apathy, supplement
inadequacy of books as well as arouse students’ interest by giving them something practical
to see and do, and at the same time helping to train them to think things out themselves.
Like other teaching subjects in the school curriculum, the teaching and learning of Social
Studies cannot be effectively achieved without the aid of instructional materials. According
to Obebe and Olatunde (2005), for long, instructional materials have not really being used in
schools. Most teachings are done verbally without really making use of the few available
materials. It is proper for teachers to make use of instructional materials needed in every
situation for their teaching. Obebe and Olatunde (2005) suggested a catalogue of useful
visual aids that are good for teaching Social Studies i.e. pictures, post cards, diagrams, maps,
filmstrips and models. Statistics has also shown that most secondary schools lack these
instructional materials in their schools and also trained teachers who know how to use these
materials. This study is therefore set to find out if students’ academic performance can be
significantly attributed to the availability and usability of instructional materials or not. In
order to achieve the objectives of the study, the following research questions and hypotheses
were raised:
Research Questions
1. To what extent are Instructional Materials Available for the Teaching and Learning of
Social Studies in School?
2. What is the level of Use of Available Instructional Materials for the Teaching and
Learning of Social Studies in Schools?
Research Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated for this study

1. There is no significant relationship between the availability and the level of use of
instructional materials in secondary schools.

2. There is no significant difference between the quality and quantity of instructional

materials and the level of use of instructional materials in the teaching and learning of
Social Studies.
3. There is no significant relationship between the students’ academic performance and
level of use of instructional materials for teaching and learning of Social Studies.

METHODOLOGY
The descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The population consists
of social studies teachers in Lagos state. Simple random sampling technique was used in the
selection of the 120 teachers from 40 randomly selected schools. From each of the schools,
three (3) teachers were selected, making a total number of one hundred and twenty (120)
respondents. The instrument used in collecting data from the respondents was a researcher
developed questionnaire, which was divided into two (2) parts, section ‘A’ deals with the
personal profile of the teachers’, while section ‘B’ dealt with views on the availability and
usability of instructional materials. Face and content validity of the instrument was
determined by subjecting the items to the critical judgment of three experts in Social Studies
and Teacher education. Their comments led to the restructuring and replacement of some
items in the instruments. A split half reliability method gave a value of 0.73 as reliability
score.

RESULTS
Research question 1: To what extent are Instructional Materials Available for the Teaching and
Learning of Social Studies in Schools?

To determine the extent to which instructional materials are available for teaching and learning
of social studies in schools, the frequency counts and simple percentage were computed with the
scale of available and not available.

Table 1: Showing the Availability Ranking of Instructional Materials for Teaching and Learning
Social Studies in Schools.
N = 120
S/N Instructional Material Available Not available Availability
Ranking
1 Audio Resources 42 (35%) 78 (65%) 3
2 Audio-Visuals And 38 (31.67%) 82 (68.33%) 5
Broadcast Media
3 Community Based 36 (30 % ) 84 (70 % ) 6
Resources
4 E-resources 22 ( 18.33% ) 98 ( 81.67% ) 7
5 Model 40 ( 33.33 % ) 80 ( 66.67% ) 4
6 Print Media 99 ( 82.5% ) 21 (17.5% ) 1
7 Real Objects 69 (57.5%) 51 (42.5%) 2

On the availability of instructional materials for the teaching and learning of social studies in
schools, Table 1 shows that 35% of the respondents were affirmative that audio resources were
available whereas, 65% others disagreed. Also, 31.67% of the respondents agreed that audio-
visuals and broadcast media were available; while 68.33% others disagreed. More so, 30% of the
respondents agreed that community based resources are available, while 70% others disagreed.
In addition, 18.33% of the respondents agreed that E-resources are available, whereas 81.67%
others disagreed. However, 82.5% of the respondents were affirmative that print media are
available, while 17.5% others disagreed. Finally, 57.5% of the respondents were affirmative that
real objects are available, but 42.5% others disagreed. Therefore, the results of the responses
indicates that among instructional materials used in the teaching and learning of social studies in
schools, only print media and real objects were available.

Research question 2: What is the level of Use of Available Instructional Materials for the
Teaching and Learning of Social Studies in Schools?

To determine the level of the use of instructional materials that are available for teaching and
learning of social studies in schools, the frequency counts was computed with the scale of
Always-5, Often-4, Sometimes-3, Rarely-2 and Never-1.

Table 2: Showing Teachers’ ratings of Available Instructional Materials Level of Use on a Five-
point Scale (Always-5, Often-4, Sometimes-3, Rarely-2, Never-1)

N = 120
S/N Instructional 5 4 3 2 1 Total Average Level of
Material Rating Rating Use
Ranking
1 Audio Resources - 15 45 54 6 309 2.6 3
2 Audio-Visuals And - - - 12 108 132 1.1 7
Broadcast Media
3 Community Based - - 48 - 72 216 1.8 5
Resources
4 E-resources - - - 18 102 138 1.6 6
5 Model 12 15 60 3 - 306 2.5 4
6 Print Media 75 39 6 - - 449 3.7 1
7 Real Objects - 45 75 - - 405 3.4 2

On the usage level of available instructional materials for the teaching and learning of social
studies in schools, the results of the rating shows that print media and real objects are mostly
used, followed by audio resources, audio-visual and broadcast media, community based
resources, E-resources, model, print media and real objects respectively.
Hypothesis One: There is no significant relationship between the availability and the level of use
of instructional materials in secondary schools. For the test of this hypothesis, the Pearson
correlation analysis was computed to show the relationship between the availability and the level
of use of instructional materials in secondary schools. The results of the analysis of the data were
presented in Table 3

Table 3: Relationship between the availability and the level of use of Instructional materials in
Secondary Schools

Variables N Mean Std. Dev. diff rcal rcrit Rmks

_____________________________________________________________________
Instructional materials 120 16.16 1.14 118 0.90 0.553 Ho1:
Availability Rejected
Instructional materials 59.34 5.10
Usage Level
Correlation is significant

Table 3 shows that the total number of respondents used for the study (N)=118; the mean values
of the relationship between the availability of instructional materials and the level of use of
instructional materials were 16.16 and 59.34 respectively; while their standard deviation values
were 1.14 and 5.10 respectively. Also, correlation between level of relationship between the
availability of instructional materials and the level of use of instructional materials produced a
calculated correlation coefficient value (rcal) =0.90; and a correlation critical value (rcritical)
=0.553; and since the calculated value of the correlation is greater than the critical value, i.e. r
cal>r critical; hence, the null hypothesis was rejected. Therefore, significant relationship exists
between the availability of instructional materials and the level of use of instructional materials
for the teaching and learning of social studies in schools.

Hypothesis Two: There is no significant relationship between the quality and quantity of
instructional materials and the level of use of instructional materials in the teaching and learning
of Social Studies. For the test of this hypothesis, the Pearson correlation analysis was computed
to show the relationship between quality and quantity of instructional materials and the level of
use of instructional materials in secondary schools in the teaching and learning of Social Studies.
The results of the analysis of the data are presented in Table 4.

Table 4: Showing the Difference between the quality and quantity of instructional materials and
the level of the instructional materials in the teaching and learning.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Variables N Mean Std. Dev. diff rcal rcrit Rmks
_____________________________________________________________________
Instructional materials: 120 12.03 1.10 118 0.65 0.553 Ho2:
Quality and quantity Rejected
Instructional materials 59.34 5.10
Usage Level
Correlation is significant
Table 4 shows that the total number of respondents used for the study (N)=118; the mean values
of the relationship between the Quality and quantity of instructional materials and the level of
use of instructional materials were 12.03 and 59.34 respectively; while their standard deviation
values were 1.10 and 5.10 respectively. Also, correlation between level of relationship between
the Quality and quantity of instructional materials and the level of use of instructional materials
produced a calculated correlation coefficient value (rcal) =0.65; and a correlation critical value
(rcritical) =0.553; and since the calculated value of the correlation is greater than the critical
value, i.e. r cal>r critical; hence, the null hypothesis was rejected. Therefore, significant
relationship exists between the quality and quantity of instructional materials and the level of use
of instructional materials in the teaching and learning of Social Studies.

Hypothesis Three: There is no significant relationship between the students’ academic

performance and level of use of instructional materials for teaching and learning of Social
Studies.

Table 5 shows the relationship between the use of instructional materials and the students’
academic performance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Variables N Mean Std. Dev. diff rcal rcrit Rmks

_____________________________________________________________________
Academic Performance 120 14.05 1.12 118 0.80 0.553 Ho3:
Rejected
Instructional materials 59.34 5.10
Usage Level
Correlation is significant

Table 5 shows that the total number of respondents used for the study (N)=118; the mean values
of Relationship between the students’ academic performance and the use of instructional
materials were 14.05 and 59.34 respectively; while their standard deviation values were 1.12 and
5.10 respectively. Also, correlation between level of relationship between the students’ academic
performance and the level of use of instructional materials produced a calculated correlation
coefficient value (rcal) =0.80; and a correlation critical value (rcritical) =0.553; and since the
calculated value of the correlation is greater than the critical value, i.e. r cal>r critical; hence, the
null hypothesis was rejected. Therefore, significant relationship exists between the students’
academic performance and the level of use of instructional materials in the teaching and learning
of Social Studies.
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
The following findings emerged from the analyses of data obtained for the study and test of
hypotheses via the use of Pearson correlation analyses:

The results of research question one revealed that only print media and real objects were the
most readily available among instructional materials used for the teaching and learning of
social studies in schools. This is supported by the studies of Ogunranti, Ihongbe and
Babatunde (2004); Ornstein, Pajak and Ornstein (2007); Williams (2005) though it
contradicts the findings of Baylor and Ritchie (2002) who found that some audio-visual
resources were also readily available to teachers in schools.

Also, the results of research question two showed that print media and real objects are mostly

Used, followed by audio resources, audio-visual and broadcast media, community based
resources, E-resources, model, print media and real objects respectively. This confirms the
findings of Adekeye (2008) on the materials available and their level of use in Social Studies.
This is at variance with Wright (1976) findings that audio-visual and broadcast media are
been avoided by most teachers in their use of instructional materials.

The result of hypothesis one revealed that significant relationship exists between the
availability of instructional materials and the level of use of instructional materials for the
teaching and learning of social studies in schools. This implies that usage level of
instructional materials for the teaching and learning of social studies in schools is dependent
on their availability for classroom instruction. This finding agrees with that of Madayses
(2010), who found that instructional materials are well utilized, if the problems of cost and
teachers’ knowledge were taken care of. This contradicts the findings of Akolo (1978), that
there was under-utilization of available instructional materials in schools.

The result of hypothesis two indicated that there is significant relationship between the
quality and quantity of instructional materials and the level of use of instructional materials in
the teaching and learning of Social Studies. This finding implies that quality and quantity of
instructional materials play significant role in their usage level in the schools. In view of this,
level of use of instructional materials for social studies teaching and learning can be greatly
affected if the materials lack genuineness and are relatively scarce. This is in line with the
findings of Popoola (1980) and Moronfola (2002) that schools with adequate instructional
materials performed better than those with inadequate instructional materials.
Finally, the result of hypothesis three showed that significant relationship exists between the
students’ academic performance and the level of use of instructional materials in the teaching
and learning of Social Studies. This finding shows that level of use of instructional materials
for the teaching and learning contribute significantly to students’ performance in the subject;
and lack of use of the instructional resources for social studies teaching and learning pose
serious consequences for students’ achievement in the subject. This finding from the study
correlates with that of Isola (2010) in Kwara state and Popoola (1980) in Ogun state, who
found significant difference in the achievements of two sets of students, based on availability
and used of instructional materials.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Instructional materials are channels through which messages, information, ideas and
knowledge are conveyed or disseminated. They are tools used for instructional purposes.
It is difficult for teachers to carry out their teaching function when these materials are not
available and also student might not fully understand what is being taught. They are
recommended for use in all subjects by education authorities at different level, though not
all the time available in terms of quality and quantity.

Instructional materials play a vital role in the teaching and learning process and help to
focus students’ attention on what they are being taught. The problems militating against
the effective use of educational materials are lack of educational media, irregular
electrical power supply, insufficient fund etc.

The strategies for effective utilization of instructional materials are that the teacher should
use instructional materials that will help to achieve the objectives of teaching with them,
should know the procedure for operating the materials etc.

Based on the above conclusion, it is recommended that Secondary school social studies
teacher should utilize all the appropriate instructional materials to enhance the program
me effectiveness. The government should put efforts in providing school with the
necessary instructional materials especially those that are up to date and efficient such
as computers. Seminars and in-service trainings and workshops should be organized by
the ministry of education for inexperienced teachers to understand what instruction
materials are all about, their importance in teaching/learning and how to make use of
them. Teachers should be encouraged to adapt positively to changes in material uses and
not shy away from it, they should be able to improvise either by substitution or
construction; any time the need arises.
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