AVAILABILITY OF QUALIFIED TEACHER IN EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF SOCIAL STUDIES IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL IN ENUGU EDUCATIONAL ZONE, ENUGU STATE.

ABSTRACT

This study seeks to evaluate the availability of qualified teachers for effective teaching and learning of Social Studies in our junior secondary schools using schools in Enugu zone in Enugu state as our focal point. Pragmatist theory which is a philosophical example of innovation based on policy orientation and abstract world view, pure ideas as the Yardstick (tool) for assessment, teaching and learning of Social Studies was adopted as our theoretical framework. Our method of data collection is primary sources which helps us to organize the information in quantitative form.
Two hypotheses tested are that we lack qualified teachers in Social Studies in Enugu zone and that performance of students in Social Studies is poor.
The study recommends that the ministry of education will sit up and take the bull by the horn in nipping it in the bud the endemic problem. Non-dedicated and incompetent teachers should be shown the way out while provisions will be made for the reward of teachers and students to enhance greater performance output and productivity.

 

AVAILABILITY OF QUALIFIED TEACHER IN EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF SOCIAL STUDIES IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL IN ENUGU EDUCATIONAL ZONE, ENUGU STATE.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background to the Study

 Education is the threshold of transforming a society from one level of development- to another. Towards this drive government at all levels realizing the benefits accruable to education, had initiated one programme or the other to eliminate the high level of illiteracy, over dependence and other problems affecting the national unity, consciousness and development of the nation Salman, Olawoye and Yahaya, (2011). Universal Basic Education Scheme (UBE), Education for All (EFA) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are typical examples of educational policies initiated or being signatory to by the Nigerian government in the 20th century (Lawal, 2007). This was to place the country favourably among the 20^th largest economies in the world by 2020, consolidate her leadership roles in Africa as well as to enlist the nation as significant player in the global economic and political arena. Obong, (2006).

To all concerned, the needs and challenges of any society are best accomplished through education whose engine room are the teachers. According to the National Policy on Education (2004), there is no educational system that can rise above the quality of its teacher.

Teachers are highly essential for the successful operation of the educational system and constitute an important tool for educational development, and without teachers educational facilities cannot be expanded. Undoubtedly the success and quality of any educational system depends on the quality and quantity of teachers' input into the system. Theteacherthereforeinterprettheaimsandgoalsofeducationandeducatethelearnersin

accordance with that. No wonder, Hammond (2000) was of the opinion, that states interest in improving students' academic performance should look at the preparation and qualification of the teachers they recruit and retain in the profession.

More worrisome is the public utterance it has drawn on educational standard in recent times. The unhappiness becomes more prominent following the dismay academic performance of pupil's seeking admission into the secondary schools. The query often pose is, whether teachers in these public schools being the most important factor in the effectiveness of schools and in the quality of a child's education are competent to teach effectively or not. One major concern raised on teachers’ qualification has been relatively high in aspect of teachers, teaching subjects outside their areas of subject matter training certification.

The incidence of out of field teaching has been seen to vary by subject and by grade level. Out of field teaching also has been applicable to occur more often in the classrooms of low- income learners, Ingersoll (1999). Many people assume that teaching is what anybody can do if he/she knows his subjects. On the contrary, before one can teach effectively in any class such person must have schooled in the arts or sciences of school teaching. Owing to this, one disputed that to employ adequate number of teachers cannot solve educational problems rather than having well qualified in the kit. For one to be qualified and competent teacher one must have undergone a professional training as a teacher.

Though, a good number of the supposed teachers lack this virtue. In support of the above assertion it is highly regretted that not only support of the above assertion in teaching that not only will an unqualified teacher impart imperfect knowledge and promote low

 

quality of education but he is likely to be deficient in the use of instructional material in teaching.

Instructional materials play an indispensable role in teaching and learning process as they stimulate thinking, understanding and concretizes students' learning. Presence of qualified teacher will ensure that sufficient materials are provided to guide the learning process. Instructional materials can be subdivided into three (3) categories viz-a-viz audio visual, reading and community resources. The use of these resources plays a complementary role in both teachers and learners, especially where the subject matter is highly concerned.

The subject Social Studies education in Nigeria is fast expanding due to its objectives to man. It is a programme of study that helps with the interaction of knowledge, experience and effective use of resources for the purpose of citizenship education. It enables one to acquire problem easily solving skills, which helps an individual to handle environmental struggles easily. In realizing the important reasons why the subject is taught in school equips a quailed and competent teacher who will impact the correct knowledge to enable learners use its knowledge in solving man's immediate problem in the society. The subject cannot be effectively learnt without the help of a qualified teacher in the area who can effectively make good use of instructional materials in the teaching and learning process. A teachers qualification means the highest educational certificate possessed by the teacher in a subject. Social Studies cannot stand in isolations of the duo forces of a teacher and instructional materials. Morgan (2003) and Hayes (2000) lamented that the qualification of a teacher is a crucial factor in promoting effective learning including Social Studies, while instructional material perform such function as the extension of range of experience available to learn supplement and complement of the teacher’s vast explanations, thereby making learning experience richer and thus providing the teacher with interest into a wide variety of learning activities.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

 

Firstly, problem of unqualified Social Studies teacher who are handling the subject in our junior secondary schools especially had been perceived to be contributing toward students poor academic performance in Social Studies. It is one thing for a person to be professionally trained in a particular discipline, example Social Studies, it is another thing for the person to have the opportunity to work in that field not other wise. Experience has shown that a qualified Social Studies teacher will teach the subject better at all level of education.

Secondly, the fact that less attention is paid to the provision and use of instructional materials was identified to be another problem. The impact of instructional material on teaching and learning process cannot be jeopardized in anyway. A lot of research have been conducted in this regard. The results have proved that schools with adequate instructional materials perform better than those without it instructional material. Oladejo, Olusunde, Ojobisi, and Isoia (2001).

 

 

1.3           Objectives of theStudy

 

This study is being carried out specifically to achieve the following objectives these include:

1. To verify the impact of teachers’ qualification on students' performance in Social Studies.
2. To find out the extent that instructional materials enhance academic performance of students in Social Studies.
3. To identify the level of male and female students’ academic performance in englishlanguage among the selected junior secondary schools.

1.4           Research Questions

 

The following questions have been carefully formulated in this study for which answers were sought.

1. What is the impact of teachers’ qualification on students’ academic performance in Social Studies in Nsukka and Agbani Zone?
2. To what extent is teachers’ usage of instructional material enhancing academic performance of studentsin Social Studies in Nsukka and Agbani Zone Area?
3. What is the level of male and female students' academic performance in Social Studies among the selected schools in the two zones?

1.5               Significance of the Study

 The research work is determined to ascertain the impact of teachers' qualification on academic performance of students. Specifically the study under investigation could be significant to the following stakeholders: teachers, learners, government, school policy makers as well as curriculum planners.

1.6       The scope of the study

 This research work covered all the public junior secondary schools in Nsukka and Agbani Zones of Enugu state. The subjects for the study comprise teachers and pupil from the two zone Nsukka and Agbani ZONE. The choice of the study area was precipitated poor academic performance, poor usage of instructional materials among others. However, the study will be delimited to some selected public junior secondary schools in the two Zones..

AVAILABILITY OF QUALIFIED TEACHER IN EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF SOCIAL STUDIES IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL IN ENUGU EDUCATIONAL ZONE, ENUGU STATE.

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