Faculty of Education, Institute of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria.

Keywords: Teaching and learning,Ghana.

Article style and source: Report..

Contents

• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Objectives
• Methodology
• Validity and Reliability
• Procedure
• Results
• Discussion
• Recommendations
• References
  

Introduction

Learning and teaching is the concern of the trained teacher. But learning is a complex process. It can however be defined as a change in disposition; a relatively permanent change in behaviour overtime and this is brought about by experience. Learning can occur as a result of newly acquired skill, knowledge, perception, facts, principles, new information at hand etc. Adeyanju, (1997). Learning can be reinforced with learning aids of different variety because they stimulate, motivate as well as arrest learner's attention for a while during the instructional process.

Learning aids are instructional materials and devices through which teaching and learning are done in schools. Examples of learning aids include visual aids, audio-visual aids, real objects and many others. The visual aids are designed materials that may be locally made or commercially produced. They come in form of wall-charts illustrated pictures, pictorial materials and other two dimensional objects. There are also audio-visual aids. These are teaching machines like radio, television, and all sorts of projectors with sound attributes.

It is interesting to note that a large percentage of trained teachers and those undergoing professional training courses can teach with some of the learning aids. They do so consciously because they know that the use have positive effect on learning outcomes as their cognate experiences during teaching practice supervision reveals. In an on-going action research by investigators in Winneba District, a survey sample of teachers with several years of teaching experience of between (03) and twenty-five (25) years, claim that learning aids improve methodology. They also claim that learning aids reduce their talk and chalk method.

In the University of Winneba, Ghana, students normally go on teaching practice exercise. They are engaged in the on-campus teaching practice (OCTP) and in the School Attachment Programme (SAP). The objective of the various teaching practices is to involve students in as many teaching programmes that will sufficiently help them develop required teaching skill, expose them to the problems of learners and lead them to qualify as professionals. The programme often last between four (4) weeks to a semester. There is also an element of mini teaching exercises which students experience during their three - and four - year dipoloma - and B.Ed. programmes. One would like to ask some questions. Is the programme schedule for teaching practice adequate to prepare students for professionalism in teaching? Will students-teachers perception of the use of educational technology devices improve significantly their teaching during their teaching practice programmes? It is perceived that teaching teachers imply the equipping of teachers with all the skills, knowledge pedagogy and rudiments about how instructional materials can help the teacher to make the delivery of the instruction successful with learners.

The operational definition of perception as reflected in this paper pulls on the transaction theory of perception by television. The theory focused on variables and contextual factors as having effects on how perception takes place. The individual perceives as a result of variables surrounding the interpretation. This is why the teacher organizes his methods of teachings around the aims and objectives he/she intends to achieve. In order to attain the objectives, instructional materials are perceived as very important in the teaching. back

Literature Review

Studies on teacher education and use of instructional materials have been carried out and reported by several investigators including those of Lynne (1982) Agun and Okunrotifa (1977), Agun (1986) Akanbi and Imogie (1988), Adeyanju (1986; 1988 and 1999) Agun (1986) pointed out the need for development of skills by teachers undergoing their training so that they could be able to use a wide variety of instructional materials sufficiently well. Akinola (1988) on use of Modern Teaching Aids/new technologies to aid teaching.

The various researchers found that teachers who are trained and untrained, sue some form of materials to teach their lessons. However, the relevance of the choice of instructional material types that were used and the quality of the instructional material types that teachers use have not been investigated. This is what the present survey hopes to investigate.

Some investigators claim that whenever they taught with some of the learning aids, their students get more stimulated because the learning aids help them (students) to become more attentive. In addition, students positive attitude generate more interest for the lesson they teach. As a result, students participate better in class activity.

Objective

The study through a set of questionnaire that were distributed among trained teachers who have taught for between three (03) and fifteen (15) years and above was investigated. The purpose was to find out the level of agreement or disagreement to a fourteen item questionnaire on the relevance, the quality and types of teaching aids that teachers used in teaching their lessons.back

Methodology

The population comprised trained teachers that were teaching in both urban and rural areas of Winneba. Eighty (80) teachers, male and females that were teaching in basic primary and secondary schools between March and April 1999 in Winneba District were subjects of study. They were teaching in twenty different basic primary and secondary schools. The eighty (80) selected subjects that responded to the questionnaire items correctly have taught their subject disciplines which comprise Arts, Social Sciences and Physical Sciences for between one and fifteen years and above. Each of the selected teachers teach as many as ten students to between fifty-one to seventy in a class at a time. An on the spot evaluation of types of instructional materials they used, the quality and relevance to the topic taught were assessed by the investigators. back

Validity and Reliability

Experts who are senior colleagues in the field of educational technology, in educational resource centre and department of psychology and education made content and construct as well as face validity of a questionnaire. Earlier on a sample of fifteen (15) non-participating teachers responses were analysed to test for the reliability of the questionnaire yielded was found to be high enough to make the questionnaire items reliable. back

Procedure

The questionnaire items were distributed to selected teachers, who gave prompt attention to the task of completing the questionnaire. While the subjects of study were busy completing the questionnaire, an on the spot-checking of types, quality and relevance of (IM) were assessed. back

Results

On class enrolments, seventeen (17) teachers taught between ten (10) and thirty (30) students. Forty-nine (49) teachers taught between thirty-one (31) and fifty (50) pupils while fourteen (14) other teachers taught between fifty-one (51) and seventy (70) students in a single basic/primary and secondary school classes.

The overall population of the school as the study revealed is between hundred and two hundred and ninety-nine (100-299) as reported by twenty seven (27) teachers in basic schools. Three hundred and four hundred and ninety-nine (300-499) was reported as the population of students by twelve (12) teachers in the primary schools. The population of secondary in the rural area is between five hundred (500) to six hundred and ninety-nine (699) as reported by thirty-two (32) teachers. A population of between seven hundred and eight hundred and ninety-nine (700-399) were reported by nine other teachers for their secondary schools in the urban centre.

Subject Discipline: Twenty-seven (27) participants taught in the discipline of Arts, nineteen in discipline of social sciences while twelve of the participants taught in the discipline of physical sciences. Results show that fifty three (53) participating teachers taught in the basic schools while twenty-seven (27) taught in primary and secondary schools.

Qualification of Teachers: All participating teachers except six (6) have grade two teacher training certificate. Three of the six (06) teachers have advanced teacher education qualification. On (01) has secondary education while two (02) others have University education.

The questionnaire items 12, 13, 14 and 15 were analysed. Results showed that all teachers except twelve (12) had no training in the production and teaching with learning aids. Concerning the source of the learning aids, fifty aids from the Ghana Education service while thirty five (35) others were funded by the school.

The quality of twenty percent (20%) of the learning aid materials that teachers claimed they have used could not be determined, as teachers could not produce them on the spot for evaluation; judgment was as a result based on what was seen. However, the relevance of eighty (80) percent of teaching aids that were used in teaching were assessed and found adequate. Since audio-visual materials are available in some schools, the types of audio-visual aids were also analysed. The common types are radios of portable sizes. Teacher also claimed they allow students to listen to important news.

Teachers specifically were asked to indicate the types of teaching materials they would eventually want to use in their teaching. Results show that, six (6) teachers will like to use projectors to teach their lessons. Thirty-four (34) other teachers will prefer to use non-projected materials to teach their lessons. Nineteen (19) teachers will prefer to use other methods, the rest numbering twenty one (21) will prefer to use locally made (self made) charts and other visual materials.

Table 1: Response of Teachers to Questionnaire on Perception of the Effects and Use of Learning Aids in Teaching

N = 80

X = 6.8 X = ………… 3.9 X = …………… 0.33
EX = Agree EX = Disagree = 312 EX = Undecided = 26

Teachers' preferences for the use of visual and audio-visual materials were investigated. The quality and relevance and types of the materials that could assist learners have been confirmed through the investigation that was carried out among long serving teachers. Eighty percent (80) of teachers used relevant materials to teach their lessons. The quality of the available teaching materials were assessed to be of high standard while others that were not seen could not be determined. It is worthy to state that a large percentage of the two dimensional instructional materials were found hanging in the wall of over ninety percent (90%) of the classrooms. Whether all or few of the materials are constantly used as reference point by teachers was not certain.

The positive effect of teaching with various learning aids were approved as acceptable to over ninety (90) percent of the teachers in that:

• they claimed that learners understand better what they teach them when they used them to teach.
  
• the teacher also improvised for the teaching aids when needed.
  
• teachers claim that they used teaching aids to explain the various concepts that required explanation.

Since teachers go to the extent of borrowing teaching aids from Ghana Education Services and from some of the schools that have them, and since teachers claim that they do not need further training on how to prepare and use teaching aids to teach their lessons, the inference that can be made from the analysed observations is that teachers use some teaching aids to teach their lessons.

Discussion

Result from the Table 1 shows the pattern of responses of teachers to the issue of learning aids. There is a high frequency of positive response to the use of educational materials for teaching. A mean of 6.8 is recorded for agreement while a mean score of 0.33 is recorded for the responses of teachers that were undecided about the issues of the importance of learning aids. (See Table 1).

Findings of this study with regard to the use of learning aids to teach, support the earlier observations made. Agun (1986), Imogie (1988), Agun & Okunrotifa (1977), Adeyanju (1988), Akanbi (1988) and Akinola (1977).

From the result obtained from the analysed questionnaire, the issue to whether teachers on training benefits from the organised practice teaching sessions of the (OCTP), (OFFCTP) and (SAP) and whether they always use relevant and quality learning aids to carry out their teaching effectively is a subject of debate. Form field studies, teachers in the Arts discipline were found to use other methods like dramatization, the play-way method as well as demonstration methods to teach English. The Fine Arts and Music lessons that were observed were judged to be successful lessons. Those in the sciences made use of educational board; textbooks, materials and scanty chart to teach their lessons. Students in the Social Sciences however used a significant variety of two-dimensional materials and real objects to teach their lessons. The sum of it all is that it appears the student teachers use learning aids in their teaching in order to score marks during supervision. It appears also that after they have qualified professionally, the interest in the use of the learning aids often diminish. back

Conclusion

Conclusions drawn from this survey are as follows:

1. Teachers whether those on training or those that have qualified perceives the use of learning aids in teaching as advantageous to the teacher and to the students. Their use reduces the talk and chalk method of teaching.
   
2. The effect which organised practice teaching sessions have on teacher like the On-Campus Teaching Practice (OCTP), Off-Campus Teaching Practice (OFFCTP), School Attachment Programme (SAP) and mini-teaching exercises are yet to be determined as they remain a subject of debate.
   
3. Teachers improvised teaching aids for their teaching: they also borrowed some learning aids from the Ghana Education Services and from other schools.
   
4. Teachers used relevant and quality instructional materials to teach their lessons.
   
5. The most frequently used instructional materials are educational boards, textbooks materials, real objects and the charts.
   
6. Audiovisual materials like radio are available in some schools.
   
7. Interest in the use of learning aids to teach often diminishes when student teachers have qualified. back

Recommendations

The media unit of the University should mount periodic training sessions for teachers on the use of learning aids to teach. It is also suggested that devices like audio and visual materials should be used by all teachers, in order to add the practice of technology to the training of teachers, physically. Teachers who are already in the field should be retrained on the recent findings on the use of learning aids. In addition, the University should appeal to the non-governmental organisations, the private sectors, individuals and industries to assist in supplementing and in substituting obsolete educational materials and learning aids like audio and visual materials and software packages. Student teachers should be involved in curriculum development. They should be familiar with the teaching content of the higher and lower school syllabus. Both teachers on training and those in the field should be sensitized on the need to updated their knowledge on effective teaching. teachers on training and those in the field should also have a forum for meeting periodically to assess the effectiveness of their teaching using the methods of instructional and educational technology as applicable to the organisation of the content of the school syllabuses at both basic and junior secondary schools. Teachers should design packages (software) materials that could be used in teaching their various subjects. This forum should be supported by the government. back

References

Adeyanju, G.A. (1977); Creativity Learning and Learning Styles. Zaria: Nigeria. Isola Ola & Sons.

Adeyanju, J.L. (1986); The role of education technology in pre-primary education. Education technology and the 6-3-3-4 education system. Nigeria Association for Educational Media and Technology (NAEMT) 30-38.

Adeyanju, J.L. (1988); The application of educational technology in pre-primary education. Journal of Educational Media and Technology (JEMT), 2(1), 73-79.

Adeyanju, J.L. (1991); Production of cheap instructional materials for the 6-3-3-4 system of education with emphasis on the first six years. Trends and Research in Educational Technology, 45-53.

Agun, I. (1986); Institutional Support for Educational Technology, The case of College of Education: A paper presentation at the National Symposium on Status and Trends in Education Technology. Nigeria Educational Technology Centre Kaduna. 16-21 November.

Agun, I. & Okunrotifa P.O.A. (1977); Educational technology in Nigeria teacher education. Education for Development: International Perspective on Expanding Role of Teachers Education. (ICET) p. 75.

Akanbi, K. (1988); Selection, utilization and evaluation of instruction. In I. Agun & I. Imogie (eds) Fundamental of Educational Technology. Ibadan: Y-Books, 91-92.

Akinola J.A. (1988); Improving teaching and learning: An examination of the lecture
approach in teaching at Obafemi Awolowo University. Ife Journal of Theory and
Research in Education, 1, (1), 112. back

About the authors

Dr. Lade Adeyanju
Faculty of Education
Institute of Education
Obafemi Awolowo University
Nigeria

Email: oadeyan@yahoo.com