CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Primary purpose of teaching at any level of education is to bring a fundamental change in the learner (Tebabal & Kahssay, 2011). To facilitate the process of knowledge transmission, teachers should apply appropriate teaching methods that best suit specific objectives and level exit outcomes. In the traditional epoch, many teaching practitioners widely applied teacher-centered methods to impart knowledge to learners comparative to student-centered methods. Until today, questions about the effectiveness of teaching methods on student learning have consistently raised considerable interest in the thematic field of educational research (Hightower et al., 2011 Teaching method is a product of the combination of strategies, tactics and techniques.

The relevance of Sciences and Physics in particular is being considered in terms of the Nigerian environment, the Nigerian child, Nigeria’s scientific heritage and the imperatives of technological progress. Science and technology should form the basis for national development as well as a tool for influencing the thinking and working process of Nigerians (NNPST, 1997 in Akpan, 1998).

Among the three basic science subjects (Physics, Chemistry and Biology), Physics is a course which has been a great challenge to most senior secondary science students. This is not because the subject is more difficult than the others but the way it is being presented to the students’ looks abstract, so they see it as an illusion. The mastery of a particular course of study and the interest which students show in Physics as a subject depend to a large extent on the teaching-learning approach. Selecting one or more teaching methods for a particular lesson takes into consideration the nature of the students, characteristics of the school including available teaching aids, and the teacher’s background.

The nature and objectives of Physics education in Nigerian Secondary Schools place greater emphasis on students’ familiarity with the fundamental concepts of matter, energy, space, motion and the relationship between them. It also aims at improving students relevant skills and ability to acquire scientific and technological skills, think critically, reflectively and independently all of which are relevant to problem-solving.

The teacher provides a situation in the classroom in which students are allowed to carry out experiments under the guidance of the teacher, obtain results and make deductions from these results in order to practically find out the cause of or the reason behind an event. There is a radical departure from the direct teaching model in which the teacher engages student to learn. Students are encouraged to ask questions, analyze data, draw conclusions, make inferences, or generate hypothesis. In short, the student is viewed as an inquirer, a seeker of information and a problem-solver.

 Shymansky and Kyle were of the view that instructional strategy includes the materials, media, setting and behavior the teacher uses to create an environment to produce an effect. As a result, the achievement of the instructional goals and the choice of suitable teaching strategies are not separate. Erdem emphasizes four features of teaching strategies. First, teaching strategies should improve a student’s predisposition to learning by increasing the desire for studying and understanding new situation. Second teaching strategies should be structured to help learners rapidly capture the information distributed through the instruction, and develop learner’s abilities in assimilating and using knowledge possessed. Third, teaching strategies should be sequenced in the most effective manner so that students can comprehend new knowledge by applying their prior experiences. Finally, teaching strategies should be designed to allow students to genuinely engage in their learning.

Different teaching strategies will lead to varied instructional outcomes and an instructor can choose for himself or herself strategies which are appropriate to his or her intension in teaching. A particular strategy may be better than another one for a given purpose. Yet a single strategy may not be applicable for all students and all types of subject matter. Consequently, the selection of strategies should be in accord with an individual population of students and the particular subject matter. The choice of strategies and tactics relies upon the selected learning activities and thus “the key to (teaching) method is to bring about the desired learning in students by selecting the proper strategies and tactics and consequently the proper content and techniques”. According to Nbina and Obamamu (2009) teachers should match how to teach with what and to whom to teach, in developing a variety of methods for facilitating student achievement of determined outcomes. Agboola and Oloyede (2008) also emphasizes that for effective instruction, a science teacher must able to use several science teaching methods and to implement them where they are applicable and most effective. The traditional lecture approach often consists of a teacher centered methodology in a face to face capacity. Given the prevalence of this prescribed mode of instruction, there has been a shift in students attending classes with the intention of gaining new and meaningful knowledge. However, the incentive in attending lectures now is to get the current information needed to pass the assessment. In these types of lecture environments, the formal style of lecturing alone has not proven to be effective. However, researchers have instead found that combining traditional methods of lecturing with learner centered methodologies can be a more productive approach. When instructors allow for a brief traditional lecture followed by discussions, group work, or application, students demonstrate a better understanding of the material. Knight and Wood (2011) additionally sought to replace some lecture time with “interactive engagement and cooperative work”. Indeed, as instructors have labored to accommodate learners, the structure of lectures has taken on more innovative techniques.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Experience has shown that greater numbers is not equipped for teaching jobs as they lack the necessary skills or techniques of realizing this aim. The teacher is expected to adopt the most suitable methods that will promote learner learning style and mental levels. Unfortunately, student’s achievement recently is not impressive. Many factors including faulty instructional materials might be responsible.

Given the high value placed on Physics at the Nigerian Senior Secondary School Curriculum, and the nature of the subject, the need to teach it effectively through an effective method is indisputable. A few of the problems affecting the teaching and learning of Physics are the meaningfulness of the content, the sustainability of the methods and probably, the teacher who handles both the content and method.

There is scarcity of published works on the use of demonstration in teaching Physics particularly in Makurdi Local Government where this study is carried out that is known to the researcher. The incidence of ineffective teaching of Physics in Senior Secondary School has resulted in poor achievement in examination. This necessitated the need for a more effective and result-oriented approach like the use of demonstration technique for improved learning in Physics.

This study is to be embarked upon to determine the effect of teaching methods on the academic performance of secondary school students in physics

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to find out the effect of teaching method on the performance of secondary school students in physics, specifically the study intends to:

1.     Find out the different effect of demonstration and lecture methods of teaching on secondary school students’ achievement in physics

2.     Ascertain whether there are differences in performance of male and female students taught physics using the same technique

3.     Determining the effect of location (urban and rural) on Physics achievement of students taught using activity technique.

4.     Find out the effect of using different teaching methods on the performance of secondary school students