ABSTRACT
This study has attempted to investigate the influence of the
use of library resources on effective teaching and learning in university
secondary schools. The research adopted the descriptive survey design and
questionnaire was used for data collection. The population of the study was the
131 teachers of the university secondary schools and the 542 students of the senior
section on the schools. Total enumeration technique was used to cover all the
131 teachers while accidental sampling technique was used to select 300 senior
secondary school students. A total of 127 copies of the teachers’ questionnaire
and 278 copies of the student questionnaire were retrieved and analysed using
simple percentage, mean and standard deviation. Findings revealed that the
available library resources are recent textbooks, reference materials, maps,
globes and atlases as well as novels and poetry. It was discovered that the
extent to which reference materials, maps, globes and atlases as well as novels
and poetry are available in the school libraries is high. Findings revealed
that while secondary school teachers used recent textbooks to a high extent for
teaching (mean = 2.83), secondary school students seem to consult only novels
(mean = 3.02) to a high extent rather. The role played by teachers according to
the student and teacher respondents respectively, include giving assignments that
require students to use the library (68%; 96.1%), encouraging them to spend
their free periods in the library (78.1%; 100%) and that they refer students to
specific books in the library (79.5%; 96.1%). It was discovered that using
library resources helps them to pass their examinations with better grades
(mean = 2.91) while it makes teaching easier (mean = 2.52). Finally, the
problems militating against the use of the library include inadequate library
resources (mean = 3.89) and heavy workload/time (mean = 3.27). Recommendations
include that secondary school libraries should be adequately stocked with books
and that the issue of user education should be taken seriously.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The library is the heart and centre of
activity of any educational enterprise. The development of any meaningful
educational programme greatly depends on the quality of the library in terms of
its resources, their use and eventually, the influence on the users. Adefarati
(2002), while applauding the gradually evolving educational practice in Nigeria
which tends to shift emphasis from the teacher to the learner, states that the
library is a ‘reliable instrument for actualizing this much desired educational
reform’. The power of the library lies in its resources which can influence,
make or mar society’s effort at development (Keith, 2004). According to Popoola
and Haliso (2009), school libraries should contribute to the total development
of the students as well as their teachers. A school library has the role of
enlarging knowledge and stimulating critical, imaginative and creative thinking
among students.
Dike (2000) stated that there is strong
connection between the students' use of school library and their academic
performance. Students that use the school library often perform better in test
and examination than students who fail to use the school library. According to
him, school library is very important in shaping learning process involving
reading for leisure, studying to pass examinations and obtaining useful
information on different aspects of life. He went further to state that
researchers have demonstrated that school libraries have positive impact on
students’ achievement. It must noted that positive impact can only be achieved
through effectiveness of school library. According to Adeleke (2005), school libraries help children in primary and secondary
schools to discover for themselves through independent study and learning how
to ask questions.
Wikipedia (2016)
defines a school library (or a
school library media center) as a library within a school where students, teachers, and often, parents of a public or private school have access to a variety of resources. According
to Dike (2000), school library is defined as the learning laboratory for
excellences where teachers and students find the world of knowledge and
interact directly with the resources, acquire information literacy and develop
research skills for lifelong learning. One aspect that the above definitions
failed to deal with is the fact that school libraries are actually libraries
found in schools that are below the tertiary levels of education – namely
primary and secondary schools. This is in line with the definition of school
library by Asikhia (2010) who stated that, ‘school libraries are those in the
educational institutions such as pre-primary, primary and secondary schools
which are important to the life-wire and foundational up-bringing of children.’
He further went on to state that their primary responsibility is to stock
materials that are of interest and developmental growth for young children and teenagers.
Ezenwa (2003), states that the school
library is called a media centre, resource centre, or instructional material
centre to reflect the expanded role of the school library in education. He
further puts forward that it is an inexhaustible store house of unrestricted
educational resources in diverse formats systematically organized for young
users. Thus, a school library cannot be separated from the school and still
expect all round development of the students. Adefarati (2002) stated that the
performance of students could be improved considerably if they use the library
regularly. Oyediran (2004) believes that the goal of the school library is to ensure that all
members of the school community have equitable access ‘to books and reading, to
information, and to information technology irrespective of their age.’ He further states that
‘school libraries are distinct from public libraries because they
serve as learner-oriented laboratories which support, extend, and individualize
the school's ‘curriculum’ It can therefore be said that a school library serves
as the center and coordinating agency for all material used in the school.
Students make use of the school library
for different purposes. These include using the library resources such as
textbooks, story books, novels, etc as well as taking advantage of the serenity
of the library space to read and be able to concentrate. Users may also find
the library space a useful place to relax during free periods as well as to
catch up with lessons that may have previously been missed. Moreover, teachers
find the school library a useful place to search for teaching resources in line
with the curriculum for teaching their students. As true as this seems, the
usefulness of the library for both students and teachers, is mostly dependent
on the availability of library resources. The concept “library resources” is
used to mean anything that can provide intellectual stimulation to the
reader/learner and it includes books, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets and
ephemera, audio materials, film materials, graphic computers etc. as well as
individuals and objects in the community (Adesoji, 2007). Library resources,
according to Alegbeleye (2008), include everything that is used in providing
the required services to the clientele. Fayose (2005) identifies a library
resource as those materials which enable libraries to carry their function out
effectively. According to him, they are made up of books and other information
bearing media.
Library resources can be divided into
groups according to their functions and level of usefulness or according to
their different formats. Study and teaching materials are the resources
required by students for their study as well as by their teachers. They consist
of recommended textbooks, books to support class texts, past examination
papers, reference books like dictionaries, encyclopedia, world records, etc. Students and their teachers need library resources and the
expertise of a school librarian to succeed. School libraries help teachers
teach children (Keith 2004). A school library is one that supports school
programs as well as the teaching and learning process. School libraries resources
serve students and teachers by providing materials to meet their various information
needs, encouraging reading and the use of libraries (Popoola and Haliso, 2009).
Adam (2003) notes that "research shows that the reading scores for
students in schools that focus on improving their library programs are, on
average of eight to twenty one percent, higher than similar schools with no
such development”. Ezenwa (2003) states that in each society there are
facilities such as the library other than classrooms that can contribute in no small
measure to teaching and learning process and for effective learning to take
place, learners must have access to necessary information materials and
resources.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Secondary school education is supposed
to be the bedrock and foundation toward higher knowledge in tertiary
institutions, as well as an instrument for national development that fosters
the worth and development of the individual for further education and
development, general development of the society and equality of educational
opportunities to all Nigerian children, irrespective of any real or marginal
disability. However, the above mentioned aim of secondary school education is
being threatened by students’ poor academic performance which is as a result of
ineffective teaching methods, inadequate teaching resources and poor study
habits.
Asikhia (2010) contended that students’
failure to use the school library and its’ resources to expand their study
habits has a negative effect on their academic performance. Popoola (2009)
reported that teachers share the blame as they have a responsibility to
incorporate library resources to support the curriculum and to ensure that
students make use of the library very often. As evidenced in some studies,
school libraries as an aspect of education which provides learning resources
and good environment that are flexible, dynamic and also being capable of
responding to a wide variety of needs and learning styles, have not created the
desired impacts in many secondary schools in Nigeria.
Universities all over the world place
much emphasis on the use of library resources to for enhancing students’
academic performances. In Nigeria, most government owned universities have
secondary schools funded by them. There are also secondary schools that are
operated/managed by owners of private universities.
Over
the years, numerous studies have examined the availability of library resources
and the librarian’s important role of maintaining school library collection,
providing ease of access to them as well as providing user assistance to
students and inspiring literacy. Little emphasis has been placed on teacher’s
use of school library resources, the role the teachers play in ensuring that
their students make judicious use of the library in line with the curriculum
and the impact school libraries have on student achievement and behavior. The
university emphasizes the use of the library by its students, hence a
functional library is a compulsory component of the university system. Is this same emphasis extended to secondary
schools being floated by them. This is the gap in knowledge that inspired the
present research.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The primary objective of this
research is to determine the influence of the use of library resources on the
effective teaching and learning in university secondary schools. The specific
objectives are:
- to
determine the availability of library resources in the university secondary
schools
ii. to determine the extent of use of
library resources for teaching by university secondary school teachers
iii. to determine the extent of use of
library resources for learning by university secondary school students
iv. to identify the influence of use
of library resources on effective teaching and learning
v. to identify the problems
militating against the availability and use of school library resources
1.4 Research Questions
- To
what extent is the availability of library resources in the secondary schools?
ii. To what extent are library
resources used for teaching by university secondary school teachers?
iii. To what extent are library
resources used for learning by university secondary school students?
iv. What influence does the use of
library resources have on effective teaching and learning in secondary schools?
v. What are the problems militating
against the availability and use of school? library resources by students and
teachers of university secondary schools?
1.5 Scope of the Study
This study focuses on how the use of
library resources influence effective teaching and learning in university secondary
schools. The study uses teachers and students of the university secondary
schools in Edo State. The choice of the selected schools was based simply on the
fact that they have functional libraries and they are the only known secondary
schools that are being managed by universities in Edo State.
1.6 Significance of the Study
It
is hoped that this study will be of immense benefits to all stakeholders as regards
secondary school education namely, education policy makers, teachers, parents,
school librarians as well as researchers carrying out studies on similar or
related topics. For all stakeholders, the study aims to present a clear picture
of the level of availability of library resources as this will form a basis for
ensuring that the status quo is maintained or advocating increase in the
availability of resources in school libraries. For education policy makers, this
study will help to guide the curriculum formulation process as regards the need
for incorporating the use of library resources in students’ school work. Governments,
their education-focused agencies and proprietors of private secondary schools
will be encouraged by the findings from this study to develop and equip
libraries in secondary schools having seen its effects on teaching and
learning.
For
teachers, parents and school librarians, it is expected that findings from this
study will help serve as a link between students’ academic performance and the
use of library resources for teaching and learning. This study will propel
teachers to demand for the establishment and improvement of the school
libraries so that they and their students can benefit from the resources the
libraries have. It will also enhance teachers’ attitude towards utilization of
school library resources as the study seeks to make the teachers understand
that their job will be made much easier if they consult and use the resources
in the library. Finally, researchers carrying out similar or related studies
will find this study useful for literature review.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
The major limitation to this study
was the fact that the researcher was denied access into the libraries of those
secondary schools floated by private universities, making it impossible to
include personal observations from these libraries. Information regarding
materials and their arrangement of these libraries could only be obtained
through personal interviews with the management of these schools. Therefore,
due to this limitation, the study may not reflect the exact situation of the
influence and availability of library resources on effective teaching and
learning in these secondary schools. Also, conclusions were derived from
feedback given by respondents based on the questionnaires and as such the study
is limited by the interpretation made by the individuals towards the items in
the questionnaire.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
Influence: To
have an effect on someone or a thing in an important way.
School library: Libraries
in educational institutions such as pre-primary, primary and secondary schools.
Library resources: Materials
such as books, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets and ephemera, audio materials
in the library which provide intellectual stimulation to the
reader/learner.
Effective teaching: The
kind of teaching that leads to improved student achievement.
improvement
in students’ achievement.
University Secondary
Schools: Those secondary schools that are either funded and managed
by government owned universities or managed by owners of private universities.
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