CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            Background to the Study

An important mark of modern educational practice is the recognition of the need to provide teachers with up-to-date knowledge of the large variety of educational media resources available and the intelligent use of them.

A few years ago teacher’s effectiveness rested on their knowledge of the subject matter, the knowledge of how to organize and present content meaningfully and their understanding of learners being taught. Presently, there is much emphasis on the utilization of educational media resources.

Udokang (2006) opined that Government is an academic field of study and is one of the social sciences that is taught in secondary schools. It deals with the review and the state, its structures, the relationship between leaders and the led, relationship between one state and another in the world.

As a social science subject, Government has assumed the status of ‘science’ utilizing educational technologies like the computers, basic research and scientific approaches, statistics, observation, verification and analysis of data are employed to achieve more result – oriented systematic studies.

In this direction it has developed different methods and techniques aimed empirical propositions, which are used to solve problems confronting various governmental systems and predicting political phenomenon. Thus, to achieve an in-depth study, government has evolved an interdisciplinary perspective by borrowing from or relating with several other subjects as mathematics, geography, economics, psychology, sociology, philosophy etc.

The objectives of government is yet to be achieved as a result of poor teaching and lack of educational media resources to motivate students. Educational media resources are essential and significant tools needed for teaching and learning of government to promote teacher’s effectiveness and improve students’ performance.

According to Hodges (2016) educational media is a broad term which is often used interchangeably and synonymously with instructional media, educational design or educational technology of which generally, refer to the technology of which as computer programmes, films, video – editing programmes, word processing equipment and calculating instruments used for teaching and enhancing learning outcomes in students or learners.

           They are carriers of information between a source and a receiver. Media are very essential to good teaching and they must be selected properly and used effectively. The examples of media are PowerPoint, slide, video tape, diagrams, printed materials and computer software. These media are regarded as educational media as they carry messages with instructional purpose.

          The purpose of educational media is to facilitate communication and to enhance teaching-learning effectiveness. To make the teaching-learning effective, the government teacher can adopt various types of educational media suitable for the lesson at hand. These could be visual media, audio media, and audio-visual media and realia.

          The application of instructional media by a teacher to drive home his subject points at the secondary school level of our education system is an essential issue in practical classroom interaction and successful transfer of knowledge from the teacher to the learner. Educational media are also used to transmit information, ideas, and notes to learners (Ijaduola, 2007).

          Abdu-Raheem (2011) avers that non-availability and inadequacy of instructional materials are major causes of ineffectiveness of the school system and poor performance of students in school. Adeleke, B. (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.

          Based on this, educational media, for teaching and acquisition of scientific and nonscientific knowledge is significant in arousing the interest of students by means of applying the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. It is envisaged that, this work will focus on selected secondary schools in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, as a case study.

1.2            Statement of the Problems

Educational media resources are tools that help teachers to impart knowledge to their students with minimal difficulty. They make the job of teaching easier and effective. It was observed that students usually fail in examinations owing to improper teaching methods and lack of essential aids for instructional delivery (Afolabi, 2009).

Educationists, parents, and stakeholders have expressed concern over these problems. However, in their quest to find out the root of teacher ineffectiveness in teaching Government in Abak Local Government, most have suggested that it is due to lack and non-utilization of educational media resources which have been responsible for poor performance of students in government in schools in Abak Local Government Area.

This study intends to find out the influence of educational media resources on teacher effectiveness in teaching Government in secondary schools in Abak Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.

1.3            Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to find out the influence of educational media resources on teacher effectiveness in teaching Government in Abak Local Government Area.

Specifically, the study intends to achieve the following objectives:

1. To examine the extent to which utilization of realia influence the teaching of Government in secondary schools in Abak Local Government Area
2. To find out the extent to which the use of audio educational media influence the teaching of Government in secondary schools in Abak local Government Area.
3. To determine the extent to which the use of visual educational media influence the teaching of Government in secondary schools in Abak Local Government Area.
4. To examine the extent which the utilization of audio-visual educational media influence the teaching of Government in Abak Local Government Area.

1.4            Research Questions

1. To what extent does utilization of realia educational media influence the teaching of Government in Secondary Schools in Abak Local Government Area?
2. To what extent does utilization of audio-educational media influence the teaching of government in secondary schools in Abak Local Government?
3. To what extent does utilization of visual educational media influence the teaching of Government in secondary schools in Aback Local Government Area?

To what extent does utilization of audio-visual educational media influence the teaching of Government in Secondary Schools in Abak Local Government Area?