Teaching Methods and Pre-Primary School Pupils’ Academic Performance in English Language
ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to find out if teaching method and pre-primary pupils’ academic performance in English in Mbo Local Government Area. Two hypotheses were formulated. The quasi-experimental design was adopted as the design for the study. The population was adopted as the design for the study. The population for the study was one thousand and thirty-nine pre-primary school pupils’. One hundred pre-primary pupils were randomly selected from four selected public primaries as the sample size. English Language Performance Test (ELPT) was used as the instrument for data collection and an independent statistical method was employed in analyzing the data collected. Findings revealed that there is a significant difference in the academic performance of pre-primary pupils taught using a play-way method of teaching and those taught using the conventional method of teaching. Also, there is no significant difference in the academic performance between male and female pre-primary school pupils when taught using the play-way method of teaching. Based on the finding of the study, it is recommended that teachers at the pre-primary level of education showed always employ the play-way method of teaching for effective participation of pupils during class.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The quality and intellectual aims of education in the Nigerian society have become the concern of educationists being looked upon to bring to fruition the attainment of a society backed strongly by future citizens who are conscious and innovatively oriented. Ekanem (2006) added that it is because of this that the teaching activity of the teacher falls under the searchlight of the larger society.
The National Policy on Education cited in Ekanem (2006) clearly recognized the role of the teacher when it declares that teacher’s education shall continue to be given major emphasis in all educational planning and development. The teaching of the English Language in Nigerian pre-primary schools needs to be properly handled. The strategies methods and materials used by teachers to teach and drive home their subject matter at the pre-primary school level of our education system is incontrovertibly a paramour important issue in classroom interaction and successful transfer of knowledge from the teacher to the learners.
The play-way technique entails the dramatization of real-life situations by pupils. It is a natural method of learning that can take different forms such as modeling, games, dramatization, drawing and painting. According to Uwameiye and Ojikutu (2008), teaching can be defined as the action of a person (teacher) and may also refer to the instruction of education performed by the teacher (Okon, 2014).
However, Ekanem (2006) has stated that teaching is a complex process in primary school because at this to be even more complex because at this level teachers are dealing with infants who need more attention. The author added that teachers who teach in primary schools must be made to understand that they have a very important role to play in preparing the youngsters for the greater task ahead in primary schools. Teachers, therefore, should be able to give a good start to the pupils at this level to ensure a better academic future of the learners. This then formed the background to this study.
Teaching Methods and Pre-Primary School Pupils’ Academic Performance in English Language
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The act of teaching is fundamentally concerned with passing ideas, skills, and attitudes from the teachers to the learners. Experience has shown that spoken words alone in the communication of ideas are grossly ineffective and inefficient in producing desired learning outcome. The mass failure recorded by First School Leaving Certificate examination in primary schools which according to the chief examiners report that out of 1,104,13 pupils who registered for the examination only 571,006 obtained pass. (Ekong 2015) the reason for this could be ascribed for fact that many subjects in primary schools pose serious problems of comprehension to pupils these subjects cannot be taught effectively without relevant instructional method. On the forgoing, scholars like Meitei and Matora (2004) have investigated on utilization of teaching methods in pre-primary schools. According to them, we learn and remember 10% of what we hear 40% of what we discuss with others and as high as 80% of what we experience directly or practically.
This motivated the researcher to carry out this study in order to investigate whether there is any effect of using play-way method on pupils’ academic performance in Pre-Primary schools in Mbo Local government Area.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The study sought to investigate the effect of using the teaching methods on pupils’ academic performance in pre-primary schools in Mbo Local government area. Specifically, the study sought to:
- Compare the academic performance of pupils taught using play-way method of teaching and those taught using the conventional method of teaching in primary schools.
- Investigate whether there is any significant difference in male and female pupils when taught using play-way method of teaching.
1.4 Significance of the Study
This study will be significant in the following ways:
- Curriculum designers in developing curricula for Nigerian teachers of tomorrow will be equipped with knowledge on what type of method to use for instruction.
- It will enhance innovative thinking, creativity and resourcefulness among teachers as they will have to think of selecting relevant instructional techniques for their lesson.
- Future researchers will use the outcome of the research as reference materials on related topics.
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study:
- There is no significant difference in the academic performance of Pre-primary pupils taught using play-way method of teaching and those taught using the conventional method of teaching
- There is no significant difference in the academic performance between male and female pre-primary school pupils when taught using play-way method of teaching
Teaching Methods and Pre-Primary School Pupils’ Academic Performance in English Language