Thesis Abstract

The study examined the availability and utilization of instructional materials, type, characteristics of instructional materials, importance of instructional materials on students' for effective teaching and learning of agricultural science in secondary schools. This study made use of Survey Research Design. Thirty (30) Government approved secondary schools were used. It had the population of 105 agricultural science teachers, 75 males and 30 female agricultural science teachers. Sample of 60 agricultural science teachers were randomly selected. The instrument used for collection of data was a questionnaire designed by the researcher for teachers. The instrument used in this study was vetted by my supervisor. Four research questions and four null hypothesis (Ho) were formulated to guide the study. Contigency chi-square statistical tool was used in testing the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The analysis yielded the following findings that good and relevant textbooks were the instructional materials available to be used for in order to achieve students' academic performance in agricultural science. The instructional materials should possess characteristics of visibility, simplicity, attraction, and clarity. That instructional material is important to influence students' academic performance in agricultural science. That teachers qualification and experience were the major factors affecting the use of instructional materials to influence students' academic performance in agricultural science in secondary schools. Recommendations were made in line with the findings, which include the agricultural science teachers should endeavour to use and try to improvise instructional materials for effective teaching of agricultural science in secondary schools. Government should ensure the adequate employment of dedicated and qualified agricultural science teachers and make funds available and sponsor the teachers attendance at conferences, seminars, and workshops on utilization of agricultural science instructional materials. In conclusion, students perform better when appropriate and improvised materials are made available and utilized in teaching agricultural science. The agricultural science knowledge and subsequent performance of students in both junior and senior secondary schools and agricultural science as a subject becomes more interesting to learn when it was taught by experienced, well committed, dedicated and qualified agricultural science teachers.

Thesis Overview

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The availability and utilization of instructional material for effective teaching and learning of Agricultural science is
indispensable. The teaching of Agricultural Science in Nigerian secondary schools needs to be properly handled.
Agriculture contributes to the nation’s economic development, hence, the need to be taught thoroughly if it is
to meet the educational and economic development. Moreso, that Agricultural Science is one of the subjects in
Junior and Senior Secondary Schools; and as a vocational subject, it cannot be taught effectively without the use of
appropriate instructional materials (Ajayi, 1988). The curriculum content of the senior secondary school levels consists of three major concepts of production, protection and economics. Learning by doing was emphasized in the
curriculum so that the students should be able to produce food and other agricultural products for themselves and
their community. A series of activities were suggested in the curriculum to ensure the development of psychomotor skills in agricultural science by the students. The programme further recommended that: each student be guaranteed adequate equipment, farm space, farm structures and regular supply of fertilizers and animal feeds. In addition to having a farm, each school should keep at least two farm animals. Students’ achievement should be continuously assessed through various forms of tests and during feld and laboratory practicals and individual assessment should be carried out for activities in crop production while group assessment be restricted to performance in animal production activities. Hence for effective and positive production in any establishment, there must be enough working tools to be used by the personnel (Oyedun, 2000). The teacher alone cannot provide all the needed condition for an effective teaching and learning process, other supporting materials should be provided. The students learn better when most of the senses are appealed to the instruction and use of instructional materials in agriculture science education has added a new dimension in the positive promotion of the teaching and learning process. It provides the much need sensory experiences needed by the learners for an effective and meaningful behavioural change. Instructional materials are meant to improve the quality of education for effective academic performance of agricultural science students in schools. The performance of the students on the intended learning outcome provide the validation – loop on the success of the interaction and instruction (Bakare, 1986). Teachers normally dodge the use of instructional materials in most of their teaching topics, while they try to do all they could during their practical teaching in their course of study; even though some of these materials are not usually available in the schools for teachers’ use. Also, in the Senior Secondary Certifcate Examination, agricultural science practicals use a lot of specimens. Such includes soil samples, insect pests, seed samples, bone meal, fish meal, survey equipments, simple farm tools, farm machinery and implements, terrarium, fruits, sprayer, fertilizer, herbicides, cage, tilapia fish, watering can, feeding trough, hides and skin, weed specimens, hook and line etc., but most of these materials are only made available for students’ use for the purpose of examination. These specimens are those that have not been seen or used before by the students. “In most of the secondary schools, instructional materials are not judiciously used as it ought to be. Many teachers teach in abstract without using the required materials” (Ibrahim, 2000). In making use of any instructional materials, such materials must be previewed that is, having full knowledge of the material; prepare the environment where it will be used; prepare audience by means of making sure that the materials to be used will attract attention, arouse, motivate and provide the rationale that could be used in the beginning, middle or end. The effectiveness of utilizing appropriate instructional materials in teaching and learning of agricultural science is not void of quality instructor. In order to give quality education to the younger generation, there is need for employment of more competent,experienced and qualified agricultural science teachers. 

  The need to identify the suitable instructional materials, by which students can be made to comprehend the extent of the subject easily and intelligibly, is the focus of this study. An indepth look at the secondary schools agricultural science programmes revealed that there is the need for improving all phases of the programmes (IMAA, 2004). For example, there is need for the introduction and use of instructional materials and equipments for use in both the classrooms and school farms. The broad aim of any good training materials are to induce and support the
learning process that leads to improve on-the-job performance through affecting changes in the knowledge,
attitudes, skills and practices of the learners. With the above reasons, it is worth investigating the availability and utilization of instruction materials for teaching and learning of Agricultural science in secondary schools, for better
performance of students in their examination and chosen career in the field of agriculture. If instructional materials
are used in Secondary Schools, it would help improving the teaching and learning and hence the academic performance of students in Agricultural Science effectively.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
Many of the school authorities have very lukewarm attitudes over the provision of needed tools, equipments, and farm inputs required for effective agricultural science, especially practical in secondary schools. This nonchalant
attitude tend to retard genuine efforts of some teachers of agricultural science in the secondary schools. Inspite of the emphasis being placed on agricultural science as one of the subjects in secondary schools, there is usually not enough time provided in the time-table for a meaningful agricultural science work (Adeyemi, 2000). Agricultural science teachers are always interested to fnish the syllabus before the external examination – Senior School Certifcate Examination (SSCE) conducted by West African Examination Council (WAEC). Hence, the prosecution of a functional education in relation to agricultural science in secondary schools still leaves much to be desired. In view of this difficultie, most teachers of agricultural science still resort to the theoretical method of teaching the subject.
This undoubtedly, is contrary to the improvement of agricultural science education, which is greatly needed at this period of our development with emphasis on practical oriented learning (Mammudu, 1996). The researcher has
taught for a number of years in some secondary schools and had visited a number of secondary schools as a resource person. Through these experiences, the researcher observed that most teachers in secondary schools in the state did not fully make use of instructional materials in the teaching of agricultural science to their students. This negligence of the effective use of the instructional facilities and materials in teaching and learning of agricultural
science common to both the trained and untrained teachers affected the successful academic performance of students in agricultural science in secondary schools in Benue state. The central problems which are attributed to the students’ poor academic performance in agricultural science in secondary schools’ in Benue State may be due to poor usage or not using appropriate instructional materials to teach agricultural science, issue of class size, inability to improve on the needed facilities, equipment, technical expertise, lack of agricultural science laboratories,
workshops, seminars, poor organisation of the few available instructional materials, agricultural science teachers
attitudes towards the use of instructional materials, non-improvisation of instructional materials by agricultural
science teachers and the weakness of the school administrators in finding solutions to the problems for the
influence of misuse of instructional materials, all need serious attention.

 The appropriate utilization of instructional materials and teaching of agricultural science by experienced and
qualified teachers, may probably be the main solution to poor performance in Agricultural Science. Hence the present study investigated Availability and Utilization of Instructional materials for effective teaching and learning of Agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwande Local Government area of Benue state.

1.3 PURPOSE OF STUDY 
The major objective of this study is to determine the availability and utilization of instructional materials for effective teaching and learning of Agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwande Local Government of Benue State, Nigeria. The specifc objectives are to:

1. Identify the types of instructional materials being used for teaching in order to achieve students’ academic performance in agricultural science;

2. Determine the characteristics of instructional materials that can be used to influence students’ academic performance in agricultural science;

3. Examine the importance of using instructional materials to achieve ` students’ academic performance in agricultural science.

4. Examine the factors affecting the use of instructional materials to influence the academic performance of students in agricultural science.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions were answered in the course of the study.

1. What are the types of instructional materials available for use to influence the academic performance of agricultural science students in secondary schools in Kwande Local Government?

2. What are the characteristics of available instructional materials used for the academic performance of students in
agricultural science in secondary schools in Benue State?

3. What is the importance of utilized instructional materials in the students’ academic performance in agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwande Local Government?

4. What are the factors affecting the use of instructional materials to influence students’ academic performance in
agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwande Local Government?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The following null hypotheses (Ho) were stated to guide the study.

1. There is no signifcant relationship between the use of available instructional materials and students’ academic performance in agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwande Local Government.

2. There is no significant relationship between the characteristics of good instructional materials used and
academic performance of students in agricultural science in secondary schools in Kwande Local Government.

3. There is no signifcant relationship between the importance of using instructional materials and the academic performance of students in Agricultural science in secondary school.

4. There is no signifcant relationship between the factors affecting the use of instructional materials and students’
academic performance in agricultural science in secondary schools.

1.6 SIGNIFICANT OF STUDY 
This research work is significant and useful in the teaching and learning of agricultural science. Findings from
this study will help to assess the effectiveness of the stated objectives of secondary school – agricultural science
curriculum. Subsequently, the findings from the study will help agricultural science teachers in choosing an
appropriate instructional material(s) capable of releasing students’ tension towards the subject thus improving students’ academic performance in agricultural science. It will motivate agricultural science teachers to develop
interest towards utilizing suitable teaching materials that will be a possible means towards reducing failure in the
teaching and learning of agricultural science. Findings of this study will help clarify among the teachers the need for
continuous and regular improvisation of suitable instructional materials for teaching and learning of agricultural science. Moreover, the results of this study will be of great significance to the agricultural science curriculum planners. The curriculum developers will find the work useful in reviewing the agricultural science curriculum by seriously laying emphasis on utilization of instructional materials so as to meet up with emerging needs of the society. This study will be of immense benefit to researchers in the field of agricultural science by forming
a basis for further studies on the usage of instructional materials and teachers’ quality in order learning aspects of
agricultural science as a subject. The study will also equip our educational administrators in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST), educational test and measurement experts on the need to provide instructional materials for teaching agricultural science in our secondary schools setting particularly in selected secondary schools and the Benue State as a whole. The study will also be useful in educational policy making. The research will arouse instructional educational funding agencies such as Federal Ministry of Education, Faculties or Schools of Education, National Teachers’ Institutes as well as professional bodies such as Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) to formulate educational polices which may be useful in implementation of agricultural science curriculum.

1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY 
This research work is delimited to the types of instructional materials available for use to influence academic performance of agricultural science students in secondary schools in Benue State, characteristics of instructional materials, importance and uses of instructional materials and factors affecting instructional materials usage.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS 
i. Instructional material: instructional materials are materials used by the teacher in the classroom and outside the classroom context for effective teaching and learning to take place. They are material used to facilitate teaching and learning.

ii. Effective: Successful in producing a desired or intended result.

iii. Teaching: teaching can be defined as the systematic process of impacting knowledge into the learner.

iv Learning: Learning is the process of acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behavior, skills, values or preference.