ABSTRACT
This study focuses on the factors affecting student’s poor performance in
Economics in senior secondary school certificate examination, in Enugu North.
The purpose of the study is to address the factors affecting students’ poor
performance in Economics in senior secondary school certificate examination, in
Enugu North Local Government Area. This design of the study is a descriptive
survey. This study was carried out in public secondary schools in Enugu North
Local Government Area of Enugu state. The population of the study was 2500 made
of teachers and students. The sample for the study was composed using simple
random sampling techniques through balloting, 100 SSS students were selected. The
instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed
using mean score. Based on the findings from the study, the researcher
recommended as follows: Adequate instructional materials for the teaching of
economics in senior secondary schools in Enugu North Local Government Area
should be provided by the Ministry of education and school management. Teachers
should improvise instructional materials to teach Economics in the senior secondary
schools in Enugu North Local Government Area. Teachers of Economics should make
constant use of instructional materials in teaching Economics in senior secondary
schools in Enugu North Local Government Area.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Knowledge
is endless thing and teachers are among the important instrument required for
the impacting of this knowledge to be acquired by the students. Many nations of
the world including Nigeria have continued to invest heavily on education since
knowledge is acquired through education.
The
key role of a teacher is to teach, which can be understood as meaning to
facilitate learning of some target curriculum. Teaching is therefore intimately
tied to notions of learning, and there is a sense that if students do not learn, then whatever
the teacher is doing does not deserve the label of ‘teaching’(Phelps 2009).
In
the words of Awoyete (2014) Education is a weapon for combating ignorance,
poverty and disease. It is a bride between confusion and comprehension. It is
always dam for conserving man’s store of civilization and a rocket for
transporting man from intellectual subservience and sovereignty.
Nigeria on her part adopted economics
as an instrument for excellent communication which promotes National
development. Thus it becomes imperative that these important ingredient for
development of man. Man should plan and implement in way that ensures optimum
output.
This
concern has given rise to many concepts relating to the position outcome of the
performance of students in teaching and learning of economics, such as
teacher’s effectiveness, students’ seriousness to learning and parental interests
to the educational development of the children in effect technique of teaching
and learning especially in Enugu North.
Education in the wider sense is a life-long process. It
begins with the birth of a child and ends with his death. It is a continuous
process. Continuity is the law of life. Education is not limited to the classroom
only; it is also not limited to a particular period of life. Education is a
lifelong process and goes on from birth to death. Throughout life one goes on
learning to adjust oneself to the changing patterns of life. Change it’s the
fundamental law of human existence. Life is a continuous process of growth and
development and so education is also a continuous process (Dumvile 2014).
Teaching-learning process is the
heart of education. On it depends the fulfilment of the aims and objectives of
education. It is the most powerful instrument of education to bring about
desired changes in the students. Teaching and learning are related terms. In
teaching - learning process, the teacher, the learner, the curriculum and other
variables are organized in a systematic way to attain some pre-determined goal
(Bruner cited in Siaw, 2009).
It is informative to examine the ideal teaching-learning process,
as proposed by Laurillard (2014) who argues that there are four aspects of the
teaching-learning process namely: discussion, interaction, adaptation and
reflection. Discussion according to Laurillard is between the teacher and the
learner. Interaction is between the learner and some aspect of the world
defined by the teacher. Adaptation is of the world by the teacher and action by
the learner. Reflection is on the learner’s performance by both teacher and
learner. Laurillard considers how different educational media and styles can be
described in these terms. For example, a textbook represents a one-way flow of
knowledge from the teacher’s conceptual knowledge to the student’s conceptual
knowledge. A lecture or tutorial may be seen the same way, but there is a
possibility of meaningful discussion between teacher and learner.
An individual learns through his experiences, which are
acquired throughout his life. Education is not merely collection of some
information. It is acquisition of experiences through life in the social and
natural environment. It includes all the knowledge and experiences, acquired
during infancy, childhood, boyhood, adolescence, youth, manhood or old age
through any agency of education- the press, the travels, the club, the nature-
formally and informally. Thus, education becomes the sum-total of all
experiences that the student’s receives either in the school or outside. In
this wider sense, life is education and education is life. Whatever broadens
our horizon, deepens our insight, refines our reactions and stimulates thought
and feeling, educates us.” In other words, education is the process whereby a
human being gradually adopts himself in various ways to his physical, social,
and spiritual environments. It is the development of all those capacities in
the individual, which will enable him to control his environment and fulfill
his possibilities. Education, in the broader sense, is transmission of life by
the living, to the living, through living and for living”. Education is a means
for the development of balanced all- round harmonious development of
personality. Personality includes not only body and mind but also spirit Gulati
(2016).
Secondary school is the stage of
education following primary education. Except in countries where only primary
or basic education is compulsory, secondary school includes the final stage of
compulsory education, and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next
stage of education is usually college or university. Secondary school is
characterized by transition from primary education for minors to tertiary,
"post-secondary", or "higher" education for adults.
Depending on the system, schools for this period or a part of it may be called
secondary schools, high schools, gymnasia, lyceums, middle schools, sixth-form,
sixth-form colleges, vocational schools and preparatory schools, and the exact
meaning of any of these varies between the systems.
Economics is one of a precise subject
taught in the higher secondary school level. It is important to both students
and the civilization as great for the reason that it wounds transversely all
compasses of human effort as it can be understood in its simplest definition by
Robbins (1935) revised by Flynn (2009),
“…thus economics as a science which studies human behavior as a relationship
between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses….” By this
definition, Robbins (1935) revised by Flynn (2009) lay emphasis on economics as
a science and that economic investigation would be based on positive and logical
method rather than normative with vague judgments. The important ideas of
teaching and learning economics in classroom are to help the basic stage of
student masters the principles vital for understanding the financial problem,
precise economic issues. The policy alternatives, help to the students
understanding, then apply the economic perspective also reason accurately and
empirically with economic matters. This promotes a lasting student interest in
economics and the economy. (McConnell, 2009) divided economics into three
parts; positive economics, normative economics, and applied economics. The
science and art of economics relating the lessons learned in positive economics
to the normative goals determined in normative economics.
Ahanotu
(2009) observed that the factors affecting student’s performance in Economics could
be attributed to the following:
(i)
The
level of teachers’ qualifications
(ii)
The
motivational approach of the teachers and students.
(iii)
The
availabilities of facilities
(iv)
The
influence of population explosion on classroom management and organization
(v)
The
level of supervision of instruction
(vi)
Class
discipline can enhance effective teaching.
Adesina (2011) opined that teachers
are and will continue to be both the major indicators as well as the major
determinant for quality instructions. Teachers are the hub of any effective
teaching and learning system since students cannot achieve anything without
their teachers. Learning is judged to be effective when the recipients are seen
to be product and capable of contributing to himself and the society at large
especially in Economics.
Effective teaching of Economics is a
great importance in the promotion of educational and communication standard.
Thus, as observed in the National Policy on Education (2004) “No educational
system can rise above the quantity of it’s teachers”.
Effective
teaching-learning promotes positive solution of educational standard.
Educationists all over the world have worked out numerous accepted models in
teaching and learning of Economics. Yet there are still problems of poor
performance of students in teaching of Economics in the classroom. There are
certain factors the teachers perceive as the constraints for the effective
performance of students in Economics among secondary schools students. They
include low morals to study, lack of facilities, population explosion, class
discipline, inadequate supervision of instructions etc. In line with this view
also constitute to the factors affecting students performance in economics in
senior secondary school certificate examination in Enugu North.
Everyday,
one form of value judgment or the other are passed on institution of learning
especially in secondary schools. Teachers in schools do not inculcate the
eloquence principles to the students and teachers skills.
Teachers
pin-down the reasons as lack of adequate facilities un-conducive environment
for studies, lack of learning materials and poor qualification. What constitute
the use of Mass failure in Economics in Secondary School of teaching and
learning of Economics is not teachers only. It also includes attitude of the
learners, the infrastructural provision by the school and the attitude of the
society to learning.
These
variables lead the researcher to examine the factors affecting student’s poor performance
in economics in secondary school examination, in Enugu North.
Statement of the Problem
Academic performance has been
chronically poor in some public secondary schools in Nigeria particular in
Enugu North, despite the Government’s effort to improve quality of education.
Many stakeholders have tried to attribute the wanting academic performance to
the socio-economic factors. Very little has been done to look into these
problems, therefore, it is against this background that the researcher was
prompted to find out factors affecting student’s poor performance in economics
in senior secondary school certificate examination, in Enugu North.
In view of these difficulties, most teachers of
economics still resort to the theoretical method of teaching the subject. This
undoubtedly, is contrary to the improvement of economics education, which is
greatly needed at this period of our development with emphasis on practical oriented
learning (Mammudu, 2010). The researcher has taught for a number of years in
some secondary schools and had visited a number of secondary schools as a
resource person. Through these experiences, the researcher observed that most
teachers in secondary schools did not fully make use of instructional materials
in the teaching of economics to their students. This negligence of the
effective use of the instructional facilities and materials in teaching and
learning of economics common to both the trained and untrained teachers
affected the academic performance of students in economics in secondary schools
in Enugu North.
A good teacher is one who knows the capabilities of his
learners and has understanding of what his or her students need to learn. This
implies that the skill of teaching lies in knowing who, what and how to teach
and above all to be able to judge. Good teaching demands great skill
irrespective of the level of teaching. It does not depend on the learner any
more as Amissah (2012) indicate. Thus teaching has become complicated due to
the increasingly intricate phase of human personality and society. The idea is
that a teacher must bear in mind certain principles of good teaching whiles
dealing with the students.
Hence, the question of academic performance and
students‟ poor performance in SSCE is therefore usually discussed both in and
outside the academic circles. In the last few years, it has been observed in
most secondary schools that a high percentage of students are performing very
poorly in Economics in National Examinations for example, WAEC and NECO
(Examiner’s Report, 2009) due to ill motivated behaviour of the students
towards the Education, lack of professional teachers, existence of lazy
teachers and lack of teaching facilities and equipment (David, 2014). Some of
these reports have shown that there are poor academic activities in secondary
schools which obviously leads to rampant failure in external examinations among
secondary schools students. It is also observed that students poor performance
in Economics in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) has continue
to be low over the years. Otanyemi (2010), in Mohammed (2003), states that
there has been General outcry about poor students‟ performance in the Senior Secondary
School Examination.
Students’
poor performance in the subject is probably due to teachers’ attitudes of
non-usage of effective instructional materials, poor communication and poor
teaching methods in the class room, and also student low interest in the
subject. Also the student background affect their performance in the study of
economics because most of them do not come from well to do family background.
The
factors affecting economics includes the extent to which teachers attitude of
non-usage of instructional materials in teaching Economics affects students performance, the extent to which the students low
interest in the Economics subjects affect their performance, environmental
factors and the levels of qualifications of teachers (Aina 2012).
This paved way for the researcher to examine the factors
affecting student’s performance in economics in senior secondary school
certificate examination, in Enugu North.
Purpose of the Study
The
purpose of this study was to find out the factors affecting student’s poor performance
in economics in senior secondary school certificate examination, in Enugu North.
Specifically,
this study is set to find out:
i. to find out students’ related factors contributing to poor performance in
economics in senior secondary school Examination.
ii. to find out teachers related factors
contributing to poor performance of students in economics in senior secondary
school examination.
iii. to find out the school related factors
contributing to students poor performance in economics in senior secondary
school examination.
Significance of the Study
The outcome of this study will be of
great benefit to teachers and students of economics because the information
from this research work will review some important data such as advise the
teachers to further their education and get more knowledge on the study of
economics because they are the only way to students future, bring to the
knowledge of government to organize seminars and workshops in order to expose
teachers of economics to some many academic activities which will in turn help
in student performance.
Students will also benefit because
they will be motivated by the information from this research work which will go
a long way in making them to see Economics as a compulsory subject. Teachers
should devise every means possible to teach this subject and make sure that
students grasp everything they should know in economics before examination.
This could be done by making sure that they cover their scheme of work every
term.
The finding of the study will provide
training information which will be incorporated to the curriculum. The
curriculum planners will integrate the information into the training model or
packages of the economics students and provide a better instructional material
that helps to make it easy for students to understand and find economics easy
in secondary level.
The educational administrators will
benefit from this study because there will be room for them to includes economics
in curriculum as a compulsory subject in other to help the nation’s economy
grow by making admission into the higher institution available based on a
credit in economics among others. Students should be serious with this subject
and become friend with it. They could do this by reading Economics every day
attaining classes and by studying their Economics dictionaries and textbooks.
The principals should make sure that
they have enough Economics teachers for their students. They should encourage
their economics teachers to attend workshops organized for them. The principals
in collaboration with the government, and PTA should make sure that every
material needed for teaching and learning of economics is provided.
Scope of the Study
This study is designed to find out
the factors affecting student’s poor performance in economics in senior
secondary school certificate examination in Enugu North. The study aims at
finding whether variable like; what lead to student poor performance in senior
school examination like instructional materials, unqualified teachers and use
of instructional materials are related to students‟ academic performance.
Hence, the study shall be delimited to economics teachers and students in Senior
Secondary School in Enugu North local government area of Enugu State.
Research Questions
The
researcher came up with the following research questions which will go a long
way in the study.
1. What are the students’ related
factors contributing to poor performance in economics in senior secondary
school Examination in Enugu North?
2. What are the teachers related factors
contributing to poor performance of students in economics in senior secondary
school examination in Enugu North.
3. What are the school related factors contributing
to students poor performance in economics in senior secondary school
examination in Enugu North.
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