CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Biology as a subject of life and living things needs to be taught not just theoretically but practically for it be functional and to lay the base foundation needed for science and technological development. Erickson (2005) noted that for a science teaching and learning to be effective every student must be given an opportunity to handle the materials of science and experience science personally. Biology is the study of life and living things, so a resourceful teacher does not have any reason for teaching biology, supporting him Asiabaka (2010:266) education is the key to national development, it provides the intellectual capability needed by man to enhance the human and material resource for scientific and technological advancement.

To address the objectives of senior secondary education, the teaching and learning process have to be in order. Thus, Curriculum is planted at different levels of education system by different people. The curriculum of any school is carried out for the purpose of bringing about a change in the behavior of students, it is part of the school academic programme which the school presents to the student in response to societal demand. According to onyedikachi (2011), in educational setting it is impossible to teach without tools. We use new tools to spice up the teaching and learning process to make it possible for students to teach themselves. This is why Ezekoka (2008) states that instructional materials constitute an important component in the teaching and learning environment. She viewed it as the vehicles that carry messages or information from a transmitting source (teacher) to the receiver (learner).

Since the objectives of any biology teaching determines the content, materials and materials needed for achieving such: objectives. The materials use for enhancing instructional effectiveness are aspect of media employed for achieving the instructional objectives recent emphasis on teaching and learning method is on that in which learners are made to have active  participation. Active participation of learners will increase motivation and also minimize abstraction associated with learning. Thus, increasing learning experiences (Afokloi and Adeleke, 2010:406). This can be facilitated by making use of instructional materials and resources which can minimize abstraction associated with learning. Teaching can only be effective when adequate and relevant instructional materials in teaching.To this end, Onasanwa and Omosewo(2011) defined instructional materials as a system components that may be used as part of instructional process which are used to disseminate information message and idea or which make possible communicable in the teaching process.

Teaching aids are important catalyst of social re-engineering and change in learners. The role of instructional materials or teaching aid to enhance teaching for desired social and behavioral changes cannot be fully accomplished without the use of instructional materials. In modern teaching and learning situation, the utilization of instructional materials have become prominent because several experts and scholars are of the view that teaching will be better done if teaching aids or audio-visual aids are used and skill, students learn better if they are exposed to use the teaching materials no matter how prototype it would be.

It is against this background that the researcher deemed it necessary to investigate the effect of using instructional materials to teach biology in senior secondary schools in Enugu South local government area of Enugu-state.