USE OF VISUAL MATERIALS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN BIOLOGY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IBIONO IBOM LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

USE OF VISUAL MATERIALS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN BIOLOGY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IBIONO IBOM LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

            Education according to Archibong (2007); cited from Combs (1970), consists of two components. These two components are classified into inputs and outputs. By his classification inputs consist of human and material resources while outputs are the achievement goals and outcomes of the educational process. Both the inputs and outputs form a dynamic organic whole and if one wants to investigate and assess the educational system in order to improve its performance, the use of one component or the other must be examined.

            Visual materials which educational input are of vital importance to the teaching of any subject  in the school curriculum, Wales (2008) was of the opinion that the use of instructional materials will make one discovered facts glades firmly to the memory of students. A well planned and imaginative use of visual materials in lessons should do much to banish apathy, supplement inadequate of books as well as arouse students’ interest by giving them something practical to see and do.

            Selection of materials which are related to the basic concepts of a course or a lesson helps in-depth understanding of such a lesson by the students in that, they make the lesson attractive to them, thereby arresting their attention to them, motivating them to learn. He suggested a catalog of aids which could be used to teach Biology. He advocated the use of realia which will help children grounding their thought and feelings. By so doing realia are used as an alternative to real objects and materials where it is impossible to show students the real objects, they do serve effectively in teaching and learning. Therefore, the teacher is seen as the implementing factor for the goal of education to be achieved. In order to obtain a just and egalitarian society as clearly spelled out in Nigerian National Policy on Education (1981), schools should be properly and uniformly equipped with visual materials to promote sound and effective teaching.

            Scarcity of suitable textbooks, teachers, and libraries constraint educational system from responding to new demands, quoted from the educational researchers like; Oluyori (2007), Balogun (2006), Fayemi (2007). Base on the findings of the author mentioned above it becomes justifiable to examine the use of visual materials on academic performance and achievement of Biology Students among secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

            The act of teaching is fundamentally concerned with passing ideas, skills, and attitudes from teachers to the learners. In Nigeria, spoken language in the communication of ideas are grossly ineffective in producing desired learning outcomes, this has been the major concern to parents especially in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.

            The failure in the sciences and in particular Biology examination has been of great concern to the parents, teachers, and even the students in general. This poor learning the outcome of students is as a result of non-utilization of visual materials in teaching Biology, the use of non-realia visual materials and gender disparity in the use of visual materials, Wales (2008).

            Therefore, this study is an attempt to determine the effect of visual materials on the academic performance among secondary schools students in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.

1.3       Purpose of the Study

            The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of visual materials on academic performance in Biology among secondary schools students in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.

            Specifically, the study sought to;

i.          Determine the difference in the academic performance of students who are taught Biology with visual materials and those taught without visual materials.

ii.         Investigate the difference in the academic performance of male and female students who are taught with visual materials in Biology.

1.4       Significance of the Study

            The study was designed to determine the use of visual materials on academic performance of students in Biology. Consequently, knowledge passed onto the students at different levels of educational instructions should be well planned and properly allied with relevant visual materials for clarity and comprehensibility.

            To the students the effective use of visual material will enable them to effectively learn and retain what they learned thereby advancing them performance in the subject in question.

            To the teachers, it will help teachers to teach effectively in the class. Finally, the use of visual materials in this study will enhance and have high values in importing information to the learners and the teachers at large.

1.5       Research Questions

            For proper facilitation of this investigation, the following research questions were addressed to guide the study.

i.                    What is the mean difference between the academic performance of students taught Biology with visual materials and those taught without visual materials?

ii.                  To what extent does the use of visual materials affect the academic performance of male and female students in Biology?

1.6       Research Hypotheses

i.          There is no significant difference between the academic performance of students taught Biology with visual materials and that taught Biology without visual materials.

ii.         There is no significant difference in the academic performance of male and female students taught Biology with visual materials.

1.7       Limitation of the Study

            Limitations are bound to occur in writing research of this kind such as;

i.                    Culture: The culture of the research area was not conducive for the researcher to carry out his research effectively. This was due to the kind of belief in terms of masquerade played in the area, which restricted the researcher to execute his task in time.

ii.                  Poor Road Network: means of transportation in the area was inadequate to convey the researcher to the school in time. Due to this, the researcher always reports to school late which result in shortage or limited time and duration for the delivery of work.

iii.                Time: The limited-time is given to carry out this research work also posed a great constraint as such many schools that were supposed to be included was eliminated.

iv.                Financial constraint: Due to financial constraint, the study was specifically limited to only two schools in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.