Thesis Abstract

Thesis Overview

1.1             Background of the Study
The emergence and production of instructional materials had undergone several reviews and processes by different professionals in various fields of learning. These experts have developed and produced such materials in line with the needs of their areas of specialization and the resources available in their locality. Experience over the years has shown that teachers have been depending on excessive use of words to express and to convey ideas or facts in the teaching-learning process. This practice is termed the "chalk-talk" method. In modern times, advances in technology have made it possible to produce materials and devices that could be used to minimize the teachers talking all the time, make the message clearer, more interesting and easier for the learners to assimilate. (Onasanya, 2008). According to Soetan (2010), graphics materials include charts, posters, sketches, cartoons, graphs and drawings. Graphics communicate facts and ideas clearly through combination of drawings, words and pictures. The use of graphics in teaching creates greater understanding of the materials being studied. They also help learners to visualize the whole concepts holistically showing the relationships with one another. The role of graphic materials in visual communication is therefore very unique and significant.
Olumorin (2009) in the simplest term defines instructional materials as those materials that help the teacher to teach with ease and the learners to learn without stress. The author explained that instructional materials appeal to the senses of seeing, touching, smelling, feeling and hearing. They include projected, non projected audio visual, printed and others. It also includes three dimensional objects that are produced through locally sourced materials, programme instruction, and instruction package. Natoli (2011) states that instructional materials are also referred to as Audio Visual (AV or A/V) which works with both sound and visual components. The production or use of such works or equipment to create and present works