IDENTIFICATION OF DIFFICULT TEACHING AND LEARNING TOPICS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULA IN NIGERIA

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Department of English and Linguistics

IDENTIFICATION OF DIFFICULT TEACHING AND LEARNING TOPICS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULA IN NIGERIA.

A CASE STUDY OF SS3 CURRICULA OF CHEMSTRY, PHYSICS AND ENGLISH

LANGUAGE

ABSTRACT

          This research work was conducted to identify difficult topics in teaching and learning topic in senior secondary schools curricula in Enugu  urban of Enugu state,  Nigeria. (A case study of SS3 curricula of chemistry, physics and English language). Two research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. A survey design was adopted for the study. A sample of 16 teachers in the subject areas and 200 students were drawn from the 16 senior secondary schools of SS3 in the Enugu South and Enugu North Local Government Areas. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data and the data collected were analyzed using percentages, mean deviation and t-test for hypothesis. The finding of the study showed that, most of the teachers did not cover those areas when they were students, which made them to shy away from teaching those difficult topics in physics, chemistry and English language. The following recommendations were made:

The teachers should attend workshops, seminars and conferences. Resource personnel should be used to teach difficult topics, and they should be provided with adequate instructional materials for the teaching and learning of the difficult topics. The strategies identified by the study should also be used to stimulate the teaching and learning of physics, chemistry and English language and other science subjects in senior secondary schools

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE                                                                                        i

APPROVAL PAGE                                                                              ii

CERTIFICATION                                                                                 iii

DEDICATION PAGE                                                                           iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT                                                                     v

TABLE OF CONTENT                                                                         vii     

ABSTRACT                                                                                          x

CHAPTER ONE:             INTRODUCTION                                         1

1.1     Background of the study                                                             1

1.2     Statement of problem                                                                   6

1.3     Purpose of the study                                                                    7

1.4     Significance of the study                                                             7

1.5     Research Question                                                                       8

1.6     Hypotheses                                                                                  8

CHAPTER TWO:

          Literature Review                                                                        9

2.1     Introduction                                                                                 9

2.2     Concept of difficult topics                                                          9       

2.3     Strategies for enhancing effective teaching

and learning difficult topics in chemistry, physics

and English language curricular in SS 3                                      17

2.4     Related Empirical studies                                                            29     

CHAPTER THREE:

3.1     Method of Research                                                                     34

3.2     Design of the study                                                                      34

3.3     Area of the study                                                                         34

3.4     Population for the study                                                              35

3.5     Sample and sampling technique                                                   35

3.6     Instrument for data collection                                                      35

3.7     Validation of the instrument                                                        36

3.8     Method of data collection                                                  36

3.9     Method of data analysis                                                               37

3.10   Design Rule                                                                                 37

3.11   Hypothesis                                                                                   38

CHAPTER FIVE

4.1     Presentation and Analysis of Data                                               40

4.2     Research Question I                                                                     40

4.3     Research Question II                                                                   44

4.4     Hypothesis                                                                                   47

4.5     Discussion                                                                                   51

4.6     Strategies for effective teaching and learning of

difficult topics of chemistry, physics and

English language in SS3                                                              52

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1     Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations                             55

5.2     Re-statement of the problem                                                        55

5.3     Purpose of study                                                                          55

5.4     Description of procedure used                                                     56

5.5     Principal finding                                                                          56

5.6     Implication of the study                                                               60

5.7     Conclusion                                                                                  60

5.8     Limitation of study                                                                      62

5.9     Recommendations                                                                       62

5.10   Suggestions for further research                                                           63

References                                                                                            64

Appendix I                                                                                            66

Appendix II                                                                                           73

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

          According to Horny (2000), the word “Identification is defined as the process of showing, providing or recognizing who or what somebody or something is”.

          Therefore, the identification of difficult teaching and learning topics in SS3 physics, chemistry and English language curricula in Nigeria can be seen as the process of showing or providing or recognizing the difficult topics in teaching and learning physics, chemistry and English language in SS3 curricula in Nigeria.   

          But, in order to identify the difficult teaching and learning topics in SS3 physics, chemistry and English language curricula, we have to look into how the definitions of the word curriculum have been offered by different educationists.

          Curriculum, according Hosford (2005) in Badmus (2006), is a set of experiences planned to influence learners towards the goal of an organization. However, Lawis and Niel (2002) cited in Akanybon (2007) define curriculum as a set of intentions about opportunities for engagement of person to be educated with other persons and with things (all bearers of information, process, techniques and values) in certain arrangement of time and space.

          On the other hand, Tanner and Tanner (2000) in Akangbon (2007) see curriculum as the cumulative tradition of organized knowledge, modes of thought, a planned learning environment, cognitive/affective content and process, an instructional plan, instructional outcomes and a technological system of production.

          Therefore, the content of the curriculum and the methods employed to present the content have to be determined by the nature of the society and the nature of the learner.

Chemistry is one of the three main branches of pure sciences, the other two being biology and physics. Chemistry deals with the composition, properties and uses of matter. It probes into the principles governing the changes that matter undergoes. So, it is not, of course, for those who teach chemistry in schools to concern themselves directly with the economic future of the nations for which they work. But it remains a fact that students want to do useful things and that they will profit from being shown how they can contribute to a dynamic part of their country’s industry. This provides an added reason for teaching chemistry in school.

          The teaching and learning of chemistry, on the other hand, is not a simple job for those who teach the subject and learners. The fact that some terms in chemistry cannot be observed or be related to the physical activities, makes the teaching and learning of some topics in chemistry very difficult for teachers and students. In other words, the teaching and learning of some topics in chemistry involves mathematical expression and critical thinking.

          Physics is the science concerned with the study of physical objects and substances and of natural forces such as light, heat and measurement. As physics is based on exact measurements, every such measurement requires two things; first a member or quantity, and secondly a unit. All branches of it deal inevitably with difficulties whose solution, are often envisaged to benefit humanity. Unfortunately, some students in SS3 hardly register the subject in the SSCE examinations because they find some of its topics very difficult to understand. Many reasons, according to Charles and Chester (2001), might be broadly deduced for students’ poor performance in physics and these included:

Psychological factors like confidence, cognitive styled decisiveness, ideational fluency, intellectual ability attitude, curiosity and so on.

          English language is the central subject from the post primary school level because it is the medium of instruction for all other subjects. It is therefore, the servicing subject for all other subjects. According to Anibueze (2007), there are many problem teachers and students encounter in course of teaching and learning English language. Such problems are classifies as:

-             The problem in Equivocation: it refers to the problem students and teachers encounter when they read meaning of words, sentences and passages.

-             The problem in elocution: it refers to the problems students envisage in their practice of oral delivery or in usage of the English language.

-             The problems in transliteration: This is a problem that comes up because of the interference of the mother tongue

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