Full Project – EFFECT OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL ON ACADEMIC

PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE IN SECONDARY

SCHOOLS
FULL PROJECT – EFFECT OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL ON ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE IN SECONDARY
SCHOOLS
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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The role of Agriculture in the development of the economy cannot be underestimated. It is

important to note that with adequate and effective training in agriculture as a field of study,
there will be high prospect of sustainable food security and economic advancement in the
country. In order to guarantee this goal, there is need to provide top quality education
services to the students particular in secondary schools. Hence, there is need for the subject to
be taught thoroughly if it is to meet the educational and economic development goals.

The effect of instructional materials in promoting students’ academic performance in

teaching and learning in educational development cannot be underestimated. The curriculum
content of the senior secondary school levels consists of three major concepts of production,
protection and economics. Learning by doing was emphasized in the curriculum so that the
students should be able to produce food and other agricultural products for themselves and
their community. Therefore, for effective and positive production in any establishment, there
must be enough working tools to be used by the personnel (Oyedun 2000).

It is inarguable that the teacher alone cannot provide all the needed condition for an effective
teaching and learning process, other supporting materials should be provided. The students
learn better when most of the senses are appealed to the instruction and use of instructional
materials in agriculture science education has added a new dimension in the positive
promotion of the teaching and learning process. It provides the much need sensory
experiences needed by the learners for an effective and meaningful behavioural change.

Instructional materials are designed to improve the quality of education for effective
academic performance of agricultural science students in schools. It has been observed that
teachers normally dodge the use of instructional materials in most of their teaching topics,
while they try to do all they could during their practical teaching in their course of study;
even though some of these materials are not usually available in the schools for teachers’ use.

Secondary schools are educational institutions below tertiary level established to inculcate in
learners the societal needs and values, and make them skillful. These needs, values and
teachable skills are designed into bodies of knowledge and taught to learners, such as
Agricultural Science. Agricultural science is largely the application of scientific principles for
successful production of crops and livestock and other uses for man’s benefit (Talathi, Naik,
& Jalgaonkar, 2011; Onu, Ugwoke, Agboeze, & Ikehi, 2014).

Agricultural science, as a subject in secondary schools, seeks to teach the students the
principles of using scarce resources to produce crops and animals to feed the world’s
population and to service other related uses (Ikehi, Ifeanyieze, & Ugwuoke, 2014). The
teaching and learning of vocational studies as well as skilled based sciences such as
Agricultural Science, have often called for the use of instructional materials during content
delivery to aid learners’ learning pace and retention (Onu & Ikehi, 2013).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Several school managements have developed lackadaisical attitudes towards the provision of
needed tools, equipments, and farm inputs required for effective agricultural science,
especially practical in secondary schools. This negative and unconcerned attitude poses great
threat to genuine efforts of some teachers of agricultural science in the secondary schools. In
spite
of the emphasis being placed on agricultural science as one of the subjects in secondary
schools, there is usually not enough time provided in the time-table for a meaningful
agricultural science work (Adeyemi, 2000).

It has been observed that most teachers in secondary schools in the state did not fully make
use of instructional materials in the teaching of agricultural science to their students. The
negligence of the effective use of instructional facilities and materials in teaching and
learning of agricultural science is common to both the trained and untrained teachers; this has
been affecting the successful academic performance of students in agricultural science in
secondary schools.

The desire to embark on this research study therefore, stemmed from the fact that there is
problem of poor performance of secondary school students in agricultural science in the state.
The appropriate utilization of instructional materials and teaching of agricultural science by
experienced and qualified teachers, may probably be the main solution to poor performance
in Agricultural Science. It was observed that students usually fail in examinations owing to
improper teaching methods and lack of essential teaching aids for instructional delivery
(Afolabi, 2009). This study therefore deemed it necessary to look specifically into the effect
of instructional materials on academic performance of secondary school students in
agricultural science.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of instructional materials on the
academic performance of students in agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwara
State, Nigeria.

The specific purposes were to:

Discover the types of instructional materials being used for teaching in order to achieve
students’ academic performance in agricultural science
Ascertain the characteristics of instructional materials that can be used to influence students
academic performance in agricultural science
Evaluate the importance of using instructional materials to achieve students academic
performance in agricultural science
Examine the factors affecting the use of instructional materials and its effect on the academic
performance of students in agricultural science.
1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions were answered in the course of this study.

To what extent has the type of instructional materials available for use affected the academic
performance of agricultural science students in secondary schools in Kwara State?
To what extent has the characteristic of instructional materials being used to affect the
academic performance of students in agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwara
State?
Has the importance of instructional materials affected students’ academic performance in
agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwara State?
What are the factors affecting the use of instructional materials to influence students’
academic performance in agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwara State?
1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were stated to guide the study.

Ho. There is no significant relationship between the use of available instructional
materials and students academic performance in agricultural science in
secondary schools in Kwara State.

Ho. There is no significant relationship between the use of

instructional materials and academic performance of students in
agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwara State.

Ho. There is no significant relationship between the importance of using

instructional materials and the academic performance of students in
agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwara State.

Ho. There is no significant relationship between the factors affecting the use of
instructional materials and students’ academic performance in agricultural
science in secondary schools in Kwara State.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This study is focused on examining the effect of the use of instructional materials on the
academic performance in agricultural science of secondary school students in Ilorin West
Local Government Area. It was carried in senior secondary school two (SSII) class public
and private schools in Ilorin West Local Government Area. The students in this class were
selected because they have covered some topics in SS1 and are heading to examination class.
The study was delimited to thirty government and private secondary schools in Ilorin West
Local Government Area of Kwara State.

1.7 Significance of the Study

The significance of this study would useful in the teaching and learning of
agricultural science. Findings from this study will also be useful in assessing the effectiveness
of the stated objectives of secondary school agricultural science curriculum. It would
motivate agricultural science teachers to develop interest towards utilizing suitable teaching
materials that will be a possible means towards reducing failure in the teaching and learning
of agricultural science.

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

Effect: a change which is as a result of an action

Use: it is the value or advantage of something

Instructional materials: these are tools used in educational lessons which include active
learning and assessment.

Performance: it is a process carrying out a task

Academic Performance: this refers to the level of grade or scores that a student obtains in
class test or internal and external examination after due process of evaluation

Agricultural Science: one of the subjects offer in Junior and Senior Secondary School which
focuses on the arts and science of growing crops and rearing of animals

Secondary Schools: this refers to the formal academic programmes meant for children who
have completed their primary school course and are between the age of eleven to seventeen
years and above.