CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Education has been accorded a high rating in Nigeria. The demand for education is popular because of the desire of members of the society to give their children a better chance in life. The demand for education has become explosive and one which no government can afford to ignore. In order to attain an appreciable level of national education, scientific and technological growth, the way science is taught at basic education level worth its consideration. Science is learning and doing. To do science requires the use of relevant and appropriate materials.
The concept of the use of instructional material has become increasingly popular in the course of scientific experiment. It provides a forum for practicing the theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom and for demonstration of the psychomotor skills for the teachers and learners. Many students view science as abstract and irrelevant to their life due to lack of laboratory work (Kolawole & Oginni, 2011). It is believed that learners can achieve more if given opportunity to use instructional material, Improvised and standardized on what they have been taught in classroom.
The increase in the percentage of what is learnt and remembered is greatly influenced by the use of instructional materials to task the various sense organs of the learners (Stitch, 2010). Instructional material is one of the primary tools in the hands of the teacher for effective teaching in the classroom. Its importance is demonstrated when the students hear and see what they are being taught by the teacher in the classroom. Ekpo (2011) advised that the modern day teachers should not attempt teaching without a careful selection and use of instructional materials either Improvised or standardized. Olaitan and Aguisiobo (2010) considered instructional materials as any device, piece of equipment, graphics representation and illustration design that can be used to help learners learn meaningfully.

Instructional materials are essential and significant tools needed for teaching and learning of Basic Science and Technology to promote teacher’s efficiency and improve student’s performance. It is a teaching aid /learning material is any collection of material including animate and inanimate objects, human and non human resources that a teacher may use in teaching and learning situations to help achieve desired learning objectives. It makes learning more interesting, practical, realistic and appealing. It also enables the teachers and the students to participate actively in the lesson. It gives room for acquisition of skills, knowledge, development of self confidence and self actualization. Isola (2010) described instructional material as objects or devices that assist the teachers to present their lessons logically and sequentially to the learners. Oluwagbohumi and Abdu-Raheem (2014) acknowledged that instructional materials are such used by teachers to aid explanation and make learning of the subject matter understandable to the students during teaching learning process.
Abdullahi (2011) asserted that non-availability and inadequacy of instructional materials are the major causes of ineffectiveness of the school system and poor performance of students in school. In most junior secondary schools in Essien Udim Local Government Area, teaching and learning take place under an un-conducive environment without access to essential materials. Eniayewu (2010) agreed that it is very important to use instructional aid for instructional delivery to make students acquire more knowledge and to promote academic standard.
Instructional materials are used to support, facilitate and influence or encourage acquisition of knowledge, competency and skills. Teachers are encouraged to improvise teaching aids because they are in great measure to enhance learner’s full participation in the lesson, giving room for inquiry, problem solving, discussion and clarification of issues and ideas among students and the teacher. Afolabi and Adeleke (2010) identified non-availability, inadequacy and non-utilization of learning materials as a result of teacher’s poor knowledge as factors responsible for the use of lecture method. They recommended that both students, teachers, parents, government and philanthropists should be involved in using instructional materials for teaching and learning in schools.
Researchers worried over the years on student’s low performance in Basic Science and Technology ( Babayemi ,2014 ;Ogundare,2014). Reports from examination body revealed that student’s performance in Basic Science and Technology is low (Federal ministry of education research statistics and planning section 2013). This low performance in Basic Science and Technology had attracted the attention of scholars in the field to attempt finding lasting solution to this disheartening problem. Many of these researches focused on teaching methods/strategies (Babayemi, 2014; Ogundare, 2015; Babalola 2018). Babayemi (2014) identified another essential reason for student’s low performance in Basic Science as lack of resources to teach the subject.

In a related study, Babayemi (2015) observed that unavailability of standardized instructional materials should not be a problem to science teachers. This researcher recommended that teachers can improvise, and advocated for the teachers to acquire the needed skills for successful improvisation. Hence the need for local (improvised) or standardized instructional materials to teach Basic Science and technology.
Standardized Instructional Material is the teaching aid/learning material can is recognized universally and it has the SI unit to enrich the activities in the classroom.
Improvised instructional material is the use of local resources in our environment to enrich the instructional activities in the classroom.
In view of the belief that student’s gender may have influence on their academic performance; this study showed the relationship between them. Gender difference in student’s academic performance in Basic Science and Technology has been examined for some time in a substantial body of literature. Dania (2014), Nenty (2010), Kyei et al (2011), Awofala, Adeneye and Nneji(2011),and Amosun (2011), Apata (2011), Agbaje and Alake (2014), Atoviagba et.al (2012), Adeyemi &Ajibade(2011). Some of these researchers pointed out that there is no significant gender difference in Basic Science and Technology learning outcomes. Although some researchers have found that there are no significant differences in male and female performance at any level, most have identified slight gender differences (Atovigba, 2012).
Many researchers have provided reports that there are no longer distinguishing difference in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor skill achievements of students in respect of gender. However, the issue of gender is an important one in science education especially with increasing emphasis on booting manpower for technological development as well as increasing the population of female in science technology fields. This study therefore investigated the effects of Improvised and standardized instructional materials on academic achievement on Junior Secondary School Student in Basic Science and Technology in Essien Udim local government area.

1.2 Statement of the Problem
Education in Nigeria is believed to be the foundation for individual and national development. In order to attain an appreciable level of national scientific and technological growth, the way science is taught at basic education level worth consideration. Science is learning and doing. To do science, requires the use of relevant and appropriate materials.
Basic Science and Technology is the initial science introduced to learners at junior secondary school level and is expected to be activity based. Hence, it requires the use of materials for its learning. Researchers over the years worried on the low performance of students in science. The low performance is attributed to non-availability and inadequacy of instructional materials which are observed to be the major causes of ineffectiveness of the school system and poor performance of students in schools.
Scholars agreed that it is very important to use instructional materials for instructional delivery. Most teachers do complain that there are no materials to teach science effectively. However, literature revealed that unavailability of standardized instructional materials should not be a problem to science teachers and it was recommended that teachers can improvise and acquire the needed skills for successful improvisation. This study therefore, examined the effect of Improvised and standardized instructional materials on students’ academic performance in Basic Science and Technology in Essien Udim local government area.
1.3 Purpose of Study
This study examined effect of Improvised and standardized instructional materials on student’s performance in Basic Science and Technology in Essien Udim local government area specially. The study
Determined the difference in academic performance of Basic Science and Technology student taught using Improvised and standardized instructional materials.
determined the difference in the performance mean score of male and female Basic Science and Technology students taught using Improvised instructional materials and Standardized instructional material.

1.4 Research Questions
What is the difference in academic performance of Basic Science and technology students taught with Improvised instructional materials and students taught with standardized instructional materials?
Is there any difference in the performance mean scores of male and female Basic Science and Technology students taught with Improvised instructional materials and Standardized instructional materials?

1.5 Hypotheses
There is no significant difference in academic performance of Basic Science and Technology students taught with Improvised instructional materials and those taught with standardized instructional materials.
There is no significant difference in the performance mean scores of male and female Basic Science and Technology students taught with Improvised instructional materials and Standardized instructional materials.

1.6 Significance of the Study
The need to undertake this study is to determine the effects of improvised instructional materials on the academic performance of Junior Secondary School students in Basic Science Students in Essien Udim LGA in Akwa Ibom State.. The findings from this study shall provide relevant information as regards to the skills of producing and utilizing Improvised instructional materials to the classroom teachers for effective teaching-learning process in Basic Science.

Finding from this study would be very significant to government as it would help them to identify where, when and how to assist and motivate teachers in the improvisation of instructional materials in teaching of Basic Science. Also, the curriculum planners would benefit from this study as the study would enable them to make provisions for teachers in the production of instructional materials in Basic Science curriculum. The research work would enable students to appreciate the importance of Improvised instructional materials in learning Basic Science. It would also motivate the students to increase their performance in Basic Science. Parents whose children are in junior secondary school would benefit from this study because they would be enhanced on their great impact towards effective Basic Science acknowledgement by their wards. Similarly, parents would benefit because their wards are effectively taught through improvisation of instructional materials which enhance the learners understanding of the lesson concept.

1.7 Scope of the Study
The study is to determine the effects of improvised instructional materials on the academic performance of Junior Secondary School students in Basic Science and Technology in Essien Udim LGA. An in-depth research of all the secondary schools in the local government area cannot be conducted due to financial constraints, instead two secondary schools students were selected for the study where Basic Science and Technology students’ responded to the test instrument after one week of classroom teaching-experiment.

1.8 Definition of terms
Improvised instructional materials: These are teaching and learning materials produced using locally available resources with the help of experts. It is also the act of making science teaching and learning materials from locally available resources.
Standardized instructional materials: They are science equipment that ara used as teaching aid to teach science effectively. Most of equipment are found in science laboratory
Academic performance: It is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goal.