ABSTRACT
This research is on an
appraisal of infrastructural facilities for teaching Economics in Public senior
Secondary Schools and being a case study of some selected schools in Mushin
local government Area. The main objective of the study is to examine if there
is adequate infrastructural facilities for teaching Economics in public senior
secondary schools in Nigeria. Specific objectives are: To examine the adequacy
of infrastructural facilities for teaching Economicsin Nigerian public senior
secondary schools, to identify the relationship between infrastructure and
performance in Economics in public senior secondary schools in Nigeria.
In the methodology, data used for the
study was gotten from the primary data which is the questionnaire. The population
of the study consists of 89 respondents. In analyzing the data collected for
the purpose of carrying out this research, the statistical tool known as the
Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPC) and Chi-Square were used. Tables were
used in presenting the data for the purpose of the simplicity and clarity. Findings from the study reveals that
majority of the respondents are of the opinion that there are no adequate infrastructural
facilities for teaching Economics in Nigeria. The outcome of this study will educate
stakeholders in the education sector and the general public on the state of
infrastructural facilities and quality of personnel available for the teaching
of Economics in the Nigerian Public Senior secondary schools.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page - - - - - - - - - i
Approval Page - - - - - - - - ii
Certification - - - - - - - - - iii
Dedication - - - - - - - - - iv
Acknowledgement - - - - - - - - v
Abstract - - - - - - - - - vi
Table of Contents - - - - - - - - vii-ix
CHAPTER
ONE – INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study - - - - - -
1.2 Statement of the Problem - - - - -
1.3 Purpose of the Study - - - - - -
1.4 Research Questions - - - - - - -
1.5 Significance of the Study -
- - -
- - -
- -
1.6 Scope of the Study - - - - - - -
1.7 Limitations of the Study - - - - - -
1.8 Definition of Terms - - - - - - -
CHAPTER
TWO – LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Introduction - - - - - - - -
2.2 Theoretical Framework - - - - - -
2.3 Literature Review- - - - - - -
CHAPTER
THREE – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction - - - - - - - -
3.2 Research Design - - - - - - -
3.3 Area of the Study - - - - - - -
3.4 Population of Study - - - - - - -
3.5 Sample size and Sampling Techniques - - - -
3.6 Research Instrument - - - - - - -
3.7 Validity of the Instrument - - - - - -
3.8 Reliability of the Instrument - - - - -
3.9 Method of Data Collection - - - - - -
3.10 Method of Data Analysis - - - - - -
CHAPTER
FOUR – DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 Introduction - - - - - - - -
4.2 Respondents’ Demographic Characteristics - - -
4.3 Presentation and Analysis of data - - - - -
4.4 Discussion of Findings - - - - - -
CHAPTER
FIVE – SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Summary
of Findings - - - - - - - -
5.2 Conclusion - - - - - - - -
5.3 Educational Implication of the Findings- - - - -
5.4 Recommendations - - - - - - -
References
- - - - - - - -
Appendix - - - - - - - -
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Poor schooling has proved
to be the greatest barrier to political, social and economic transformation in
many African countries. School infrastructural facilities have been observed as
a potent factor to quantitative education. The importance of teaching and
learning with the aid of adequate instructional facilities and materials cannot
be over-emphasized and it is indisputable. The teaching of Economics in
Nigerian secondary schools needs to be properly handled. The materials used by
the teachers to pass on knowledge and drive home their subject points at the
primary and secondary levels of our education system is incontrovertibly a
paramount important issue in practical classroom interaction and successful
transfer of knowledge from the teachers to the learners.
Infrastructure, according
to Merriam-Webster Dictionary is the underlying foundation or basic framework (as
of a system of organization), also; the resources (such as personnel,
buildings, or equipment) of the public works of a country, state, or region.
Pertaining to the
teaching of economics in secondary schools, infrastructural facilities include
those equipment and materials that are available to facilitate students
learning outcome.it includes good buildings for classrooms, laboratories, books,
software and hardware of educational technology, experiment materials,
availability of tables, chairs, chalkboard/whiteboard,
chalks/markers,etc.(farrant,I991 and Farombi,1998).
According to Oni (1992),
infrastructural facilities constitute a strategic factor in the functioning of
a secondary school system. This is so because they determine to a very large extent,
the smooth functioning of any teaching and experimental demonstrations and even
other extra-curricular activities. He further stated that the availability of
the above mentioned infrastructural facilities, their adequacy and relevance
influence efficiency and high performance of both teacher and learner. In his
words, Farombi(1998) opined that the wealth of a nation or society could
determine the quality of education in that land; emphasizing that a society
that is wealthy will establish good schools with professional personnel(quality
teachers), learning infrastructures that with such, students may learn with
ease thus bringing about good academic achievement. Ajayi and Ogunyemi (1990)
reiterated that when facilities are provided to meet relative needs of a school
system, students will not only have access to the reference materials required
of them by the teachers, but individual students will learn at their own pace
and be able to develop themselves and there is room for necessary improvement
by the teacher in such that he or she is able to make further research and
constant practice. The net effect of this is increased overall performance of
the students.
Economics as a subject
came into existence in 1776 via the publication of Adam Smith- the protagonist
of the classical school of thought; and since then, it has assumed many roles
especially both in political and educational circles. The study of economics is
branched into two; microeconomics and macroeconomics. While microeconomics
studies the behavior and operations of the individual units (households,firms
and government agencies) in the economy,macroeconomics studies the entire
economy in aggregates and averages (Umoh, 2007). According to Aromolaran
(2006), there are three major languages used in teaching and communicating
economic ideas and they are; theory or verbal, geometric or graphical, and
algebraic or mathematical language.
Economics is an important
subject which must be credited by students before gaining admission into any
tertiary institution especially the university, to study relevant course like
Accountancy, Business Administration, Insurance, etc. The importance and
technicality of this subject makes it necessary that relevant infrastructural
facilities earlier mentioned including instructional materials, should be used
to teach it rigorously to the learners. Macaulay(1989) asserts that visual aids
make lessons come alive and help students to learn better.Hence, it is evident
that these infrastructural facilities which serve the purpose of easing the teaching
and learning process are very crucial.
It is against this
background that this study attempts to examine the extent to which the
availability of good infrastructural facilities could improve the public senior
secondary school students’ performance in Economics and also improve the performance
of the teacher too. The teaching of Economics without infrastructural
facilities may certainly result in poor academic achievement. Franzer,Okebukola
and Jegede (1992) stressed that a professionally qualified science teacher no
matter how well trained, would be unable to put his ideas into practice if the
school setting lacks the equipment and materials necessary for him or her to
translate his competence into reality.
Bassey (2002) was of the
opinion that science is resource intensive (and Economics is a social science),
and in a period of Economic recession, it may be very difficult to some of the electronic
gadgets and equipment for the teaching and learning of economics in schools
adequately.This situation is further compounded by galloping inflation in the
country which makes some of the imported materials and equipment to be
expensive therefore the need to produce materials locally.
Researchers like Obioha
(2006) and Ogunleye (2002) reported that there were inadequate resources for
teaching science subjects in secondary schools in Nigeria.They stated further
that the available ones are usually not in good conditions. Therefore, there is
need for improvisation.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The act of teaching is
fundamentally concerned with passing ideas, skills, knowledge and attitude from
the teacher to the learner. For example, in Nigeria, it has been shown by
experience that in the communication of ideas, spoken words alone is inefficient
and ineffective in producing desired learning outcome.There have been recorded
failure in Economics in among other subjects in public examinations such as
WAEC, GCE and NECO.This could be due to the existence of topics which pose
problem of comprehension to the students and for successful teaching of some of
these topics, the presence of adequate quality infrastructural facilities
alongside relevant instructional materials is required. Research indicates that
students find Economics to be a boring, difficult and irrelevant subject. Large
class sizes,inadequate funding, insufficient curriculum resources, poor
teaching skills and lack of supports for teachers among other factors further
limit the quality of teaching and learning of Economics in Nigerian schools
(Okebukola 2001).
To be able to solve these
deteriorating problem, one needs to develop a realistic picture of what is
currently ongoing in the teaching and learning of Economics in our Nigerian
schools.
However, the questions we
need to ask ourselves are: does the existence of quality infrastructure really
influence the students’ academic performance? Is the effectiveness and efficiency
of the teacher enhanced by good quality infrastructural facilities? Does
quality infrastructural facilities, help motivate the students and the teachers
to do better in learning and teaching respectively? Finding answers to these
questions and more summarizes the entire problem of this study.
1.3.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The objectives of this
study are:
·
To examine if there is adequate
infrastructural facilities for teaching Economics in Nigerian public senior
secondary schools.
·
To identify the relationship between
infrastructure and performance in economics in public senior secondary schools
in Nigeria.
·
To examine the effects of adequate quality infrastructural
facilities on the teaching and learning of Economics and also the effects of poor and inadequate infrastructural
facilities on the teaching and learning of Economics in public senior secondary
schools in Nigeria.
1.4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
In
order to achieve the objectives of this study, the following research questions
were raised to guide the research:
· How
does adequate infrastructural facility become relevant in the teaching and
learning of a social science subject like Economics?
· What
is the relationship between infrastructure and performance of learners of
Economics in public senior secondary schools in Nigeria?
· How
adequate are the infrastructural facilities for teaching of Economics in public
senior secondary schools in Nigeria?
1.5
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The following are the
significance of this study:
The outcome of this study
will educate stakeholders in the education sector and the general public on the
state of infrastructural facilities available for the teaching and learning of
Economics in public senior secondary schools in Nigeria.
This study would help
enhance the teachers’ teaching, effectiveness, efficiency and productivity.
Consequently, a teacher who has adequate infrastructural facilities and
instructional materials at his or her disposal to supplement his or her
teaching will help improve students’ innovative and creative thinking as well
as help them become plausibly spontaneous and enthusiastic. Oremeji (2002)
supportively asserts that any teacher who takes advantage of these resources
and learns to use them correctly and effectively will find that they make
almost an incalculable contribution to instruction.
This study is also
significant to the society at large because when teachers back up their
teaching with adequate infrastructural facilities and instructional materials
and the learners’ experience effective learning, the knowledge acquired will
reflect in the society positively. Students will be able to understand the
functioning of the economy, interpret government’s economic policies and
activities and perform economically better in the choice of life and work. They
will not become nuisance in the society.
1.6
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study is focused on
investigating the effect of infrastructural facilities on advancing senior
secondary school students’ performance in Economics in Lagos state. Due to time
and financial constraints, the study covers only majority of schools in Mushin
Local Government Area of Lagos State.
1.7
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The study was conducted
in majority of the schools inMushin Local Government Area of Lagos State only.
Thus its outcome may not reflect the national outlook of Nigerian secondary
schools perfectly.
1.8.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Below are the definition
of relevant terms of this study:
·
Effect:
This is the change that is brought about in a person(s) or something by another
person(s) or thing; that is the way in which an event, action or person changes
someone or something.
·
Infrastructure:
is the underlying foundation or basic framework (as of a system of
organization), also: the resources (such as personnel, buildings, or equipment)
of the public works of a country, state, or region.
·
Teaching:
It
is the act, practice, occupation, or profession of a teacher.
·
Teacher: A teacher is a person who
provides education for students.
·
Learning:
It is the activity or process of gaining knowledge or skill by studying,
practicing, being taught or experiencing something: the activity of someone who
learns.
·
Learner:
A person who is learning a subject or skill.
·
Economics:
It
is the social science that determines the production, distribution and
consumption of goods and services. According to Professor Lionel Robbins,Economics
is defined as a social science that studies human behavior in relation to ends
and scarce means which have alternative uses.
·
Academic
Performance: This is regarded as the display of
knowledge acquired or skills, shown in the school subjects, such achievements
are indicated by test scores or by marks assigned by teachers. It is the
evaluation of students’ classroom work as quantified on the basis of marks or
grades.
·
Utilization:
The
act of using something to achieve a purpose.
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