Teaching Strategies And Academic Performance Of Agricultural Science Students In Secondary Schools

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

Teaching is generally regarded as an activity undertaken to bring about learning or desirable changes in the behaviour of a learner. Learning can only be said to take place if at the end of a lesson, the learner’s behaviour changes as a result of instruction. Peters (2008) considered that teaching involves the passage of knowledge, skills, models of conduct in such a way that the learner is brought to understand and evaluate the rationale behind what is presented to him/her as subject matter by the teacher.

However, the saying that no educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers as contained in the National Policy on Education revised (2004) is incontestable and cannot be over-emphasized. This is so because in the formal education setting, especially in the classroom, education is operationalized by teaching and it is the teacher who has the most direct and determining influence on the learners. Accordingly, to achieve set goals and objectives in the teaching-learning process, teacher’s mastery of the subject matter is not only important but the teaching strategies and techniques adopted by the teacher is of equal importance for successful instructional delivery. Hence, the improvement of the process by which students learn and whatever it is that they learn has become one of the primary concerns of our time. Teachers who are executors of this function have been criticized for paying attention to the ‘what’ of teaching and ignoring the ‘How’ of their functions. While this criticism is true as it may be, it is important to stress the necessity to strike a balance between what should be taught and how it should be taught. This is because of both inputs and strong factors in determining the quality of the teaching-learning process. The fact that, a teacher should have a good grasp of the subject matter is not enough, the methods and strategies adopted by the teacher are of paramount importance in the realization of set objectives.

According to Kourea L. N.  (2007), there is an obvious tendency for learners to look disdain and contempt on teachers who display some uncertainty as to the knowledge of the subject matter and the way which such knowledge is imparted to the learners. This is so because poor strategies of instructional delivery by the teacher can impede learners’ understanding of instruction. Organization of learning experiences involves familiarity with the methods and strategies which these experiences could be delivered. This implies that the Agricultural Science teacher is first expected to learn about the philosophy behind his subject which he teaches. He is expected to, convince both himself and his learners that his subject area has usefulness and applications to the real-life situation; through the selection of appropriate teaching strategies and methods. There is no doubt that, a well-prepared lesson may fail to produce the desired objectives as a result of poor instructional strategies. One could like such a case to a good cook, who has spent hours preparing a nice dish but at the point of dishing the food out to the consumers, he uses a dirty spoon and plates. No matter how hungry the consumers are, their appetites would have been killed. This analogy is applicable to the teacher and his lesson. Therefore, the application of inappropriate instructional strategy by the teacher in delivering the subject matter to the learners will influence their academic performance negatively since it is the medium through which the curriculum is communicated to the learners.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

It has been observed with total dismay that, the academic performance of students in Agricultural science and other school subjects in external school examinations has fallen to decline. The poor performance of students in the subject is fast becoming a recurring decimal in public examinations. This ugly development has generated concerns among major stakeholders in the educational sector.

However, research findings have demonstrated that the success or otherwise of the teaching/learning process depends on the teacher. Consequently, there is a tendency that the teaching methods and strategies adopted by the Agricultural Science teacher can make or mar the understanding of the students. The choice and application of inappropriate teaching strategies by the teacher may contribute to the downward trend in students’ academic achievement in the subject. It is against this background, therefore, that, this study – “Teaching Strategies and Academic Performance of Agricultural Science Students in Secondary Schools in Uyo Local Government Area” became imperative.

1.3       Objectives of the Study

The main subject of this study was to examine teaching strategies and academic performance of Agricultural Science students in secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area. The specific objectives include:

i.          to examine the academic performance of students taught using the team teaching strategy and those taught by a single instructor in Agricultural Science in Uyo Local Government Area.

ii.         to examine the academic performance of students taught using the peer tutoring strategy and those taught by the regular Agricultural Science teacher in Uyo Local Government Area.

1.4       Research Questions

The following research questions were raised in line with the specific objectives of the study.

i.          to what extent is the difference in the academic performance of students taught using the team teaching strategy and those taught by a single instructor in Agricultural Science in Uyo Local Government Area?

ii.         to what extent is the difference in academic performance of students taught using the peer tutoring strategy and those taught by the regular Agricultural Science teacher in Uyo Local Government Area?

1.5       Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated in line with the specific objectives and the research questions to guide the study.

Ho1:    There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students taught using the team teaching strategy and those taught by a single instructor in Agricultural Science in Uyo Local Government Area.

Ho2:    There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students taught using the peer tutoring strategy and those taught by regular Agricultural Science teacher in Uyo Local Government Area.

1.6       Significance of the Study

It is anticipated that the findings of this study would be of immense benefits to the major stakeholders in the educational sector. Teachers, school administrators, curriculum planners,, researchers and students would find this study useful in the following ways:

i.          it would reveal if the teaching strategies identified in this study (team teaching and peer tutoring) have a positive effect or otherwise on students’ academic performance.

ii.         Teachers of Agricultural Science would find this study useful in understanding the relevance and application of the teaching strategies for instruction to improve students’ academic performance.

iii.        it would add to the body of existing literature on teaching strategies in relation to students’ academic performance in Agricultural Science and other school subjects.

iv.        Finally, the findings of this study would serve as a spring-board and a reference material for further research on teaching strategies and students’ academic performance not only in Agricultural Science but other school subjects.

1.7       Delimitation of the Study

This study was delimited to teaching strategies and academic performance of Agricultural Science students in Uyo Local Government Area. The analysis was on Senior Secondary One (SS1) students offering Agricultural Science in the study area.

1.8       Limitation of the Study

The major factors that limit the scope of this study to Uyo Local Government Area were: adequate funds, the time frame for the completion of the study and the researcher’s academic work-load which did not allow much time for the expansion of the work.

1.9       Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms used in this study were operationally defined as explained below:

Teaching strategy: The plans or techniques which a teacher adopts to impart or convey knowledge to the learners.

Team teaching strategy: An instructional plan where two or more teachers are involved in teaching a group of learners a particular subject.

Peer tutoring strategy: An instructional strategy in which more brilliant students are chosen by the teacher to teach the slow learners.

Academic performance: The level of achievement of individual students in test or examinations given on taught lessons.