CAUSES OF POOR PERFORMANCE IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL EXAMINATION IN INTRODUCTORY TECHNOLOGY
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
APPROVAL PAGE
CERTIFICATION
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Statement
of the Problem
Purpose of the study
Significance of the
study
Scope of the study
Research question
Definition of term
II REVIEW OF
LITERATURE
III METHODOLOGY Research design
Population of the study
Sample of the study
Instrument for data collection
Validity and reliability of
the instrument
Administration
of the instrument/collection of data
Data
analysis technique
IV PRESENTATION
AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
V SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
Conclusion
Recommendations
Limitations REFERENCES
APPENDIX
ABSTRACT
The overall purpose of
this study is to investigate the cause of poor performance in junior secondary
school in introductory technology subjects in Okitipupa Local Government Area
of Ondo state. In order to accomplish the objective of the study, a number of
research questions were put forward to guide the investigation. The population
for the study consisted six secondary schools in Okitipupa Local Government
Area of Ondo state and the sample of six (public) secondary schools while 60
students and 12 teachers were selected as respondents. Questionnaires were
designed to elicit the predictive factors/performance of the students. The
questionnaire were administered to the selected subjects from the junior
secondary school class one (SSS1) and teachers of the subjects of six selected
secondary schools. The data collected were analyzed. The results were discussed
according to the research question of the study. The results/findings indicated
that the respondents express both passive and remote cause that hinders the
performance of the students in introductory technology. Based on the
findings/results of the study, it is recommended that parents, teachers,
government and organization should have roles to play to develop the students
to enhance good performance in introductory technology subjects. This can be
done through seminar workshop, campaigns and proper education implementation as
well as, parents providing the opportunities for their children to live up
to.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
The 6-3-3-4 system of
education is a very important achievement for the nation, in the sense that
young boys and girls would be able to undergo real functional education there
by making them appreciate the dignity of technological inventions and
development. Introductory technology is a core subject that prepares students
for technological development and gives the individuals the experience of
self-expression and self-fulfillment in technical subjects. The subject will
also help to attract a number of youth who may develop much interest in their
future pursuit of some scientific or technological inventions. A look at the
introductory technology curriculum shows that its philosophy and objectives are
inquiry oriented and advocates in technical institutions. This objective of the
technical education are aimed at enabling the child who is exposed to technical
education to acquire skills or inquiring
skills as well as continuing the process of inquiring when new data do not
conform to. (Federal Ministry of Education. FME (1981)).
Today, introductory
technology serves as the technical subjects for beginner in our secondary
schools and should therefore provide the learners with the strong foundation as
an important spring board for other technical subjects. Furthermore, to realize
these national objectives, a greater proportion of expenditures is devoted to
science and technology experiments. If the components in the introductory technology
which are the embodiment of Auto-mechanics, Basic electricity, Building
construction, Metal work, and Wood work are engineering / technology career
base at either the senior secondary school or university level. The teaching
and learning of introductory technology can never be improved, if the teaching
materials particularly the commonly available ones are not properly used.
Various studies have confirmed that proper use of teaching materials will
positively enhance teaching and learning process (Okebukola 2006, John Stone
2006, Es hint 2006).Many students from secondary school lack technical skill.
This has resulted in their incomprehensive state of engineering contents and
their inability to perform well in both the senior secondary certificate
Examination (SSCE) in science and technical subjects and the junior secondary
school certificate Examination (JSSCE). Many factors could have contributed to
this conditions these include lack of workshop space and or facilities and insufficient
teaching and learning of engineering technology materials.
Other factors that can
affects the teaching and learning of introductory technology include both human
and materials resources. Without human resources, teaching and learning will
not take place effectively. Especially where the teachers must always be around
to guide and direct students in the learning process. Interaction in technical
classroom have always been a tripartite affairs between the teachers, the
learners and materials. The three variables are expected to interact
harmoniously in a way to produce the intended outcome on how to get students to
concentrate, to invest more efforts and to take academic work seriously are
challenges that teachers have to contend with. Student engagements
characteristic, teacher characteristic and availability of learning materials,
instructional strategies and assessment procedure are parameters that often
attract the attention of researchers. There is also the assumption those
classroom environments that promote cooperation and healthy competitions
engender better performance. At times, there are indications, that all is not
well with what goes on in our technical classroom. Hence there is repeated low
level of performance and lack of interest in introductory technology subject
among the students. If the students are presented with planned purposeful
activities, the occurrence of negative conflicts such as students sleeping away,
eating or playing with handset or staging a walk out of the class will be
minimal, if not totally absent.
The result of this
study could reveal that something must be wrong with one, two or all of the
three components of the interaction. The fact is that the schools workshops are
grossly. Inadequately to foster meaningful activities. The situations in the
homes where the students come from are not better either. Bello (1994) reported the inability of the
parents to purchase technical textbooks for their children, the lukewarm
attitudes of parents to the school work of their children many of the children
are sources of low income of the family. These also go to determine what life
will be in the technical classroom. Even cases as glaring as students walking
out of classroom during a lesson, refusal to write teachers given note when
writing materials are available, loss of interest in classroom and inattentive
were attributed to students home background. Perhaps if the parents are to do
the same, they will rank teachers as the greatest causes of students poor
performances. The question is what constitute all these in a situation where no
one, the teachers, the parents, the government or the students is ready to pay
the needed price. The teachers need sufficient resource to illustrate properly
to students. Teachers can only achieve their aspirations, if enough resources
for teaching and learning materials are available to them. Many schools
especially in the rural areas lack workshop spaces and facilities and even the
teachers. Technical teachers are told to improvise but have realized that
he/she can not improvise everything and improvisation cost some money. Shortage
of teaching resources in our school is not new and the practical work is now an
exception rather than the rule in our teaching and learning process in
science/technical education subjects.
Nigeria as a developing
country that knows the importance of technical education and has therefore
created another educational policy i.e 6-3-3-4 system of education but it is
very unfortunate to discover that these changes in the educational programmes
seem to be fruitless. This is due to the absence of a desirable attitudes
towards technical subject among students which is confirmed in their notions
that the study of Arts and social science subjects is economically viable than
the real science/technical subjects. However, the poor performances of students
have caused a lot of mixed feeling from eminent Nigerians as well as posing a
threat to technological advancement of this country. Therefore the researcher
can no longer resist the urge to take up this issue in order to identify the
causes of failure or poor performance among students in teaching and learning
of introductory technology subjects.
Statement of the Problem
This study aims at
investigating the factors responsible for the poor performance of students in
introductory technology in the junior secondary school certificate examinations
in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State. Specifically, the study aims
at findings the effects of the attitudes of students, teachers-students
relationship, Government policy, teacher resources, parental motivation or home
background on the performance of students in introductory technology.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of carrying
out this research is to provide information to the agencies that are involved
in technical education, the teachers, the parents, and the government. Such
information will enable them make rational decisions about technical subjects especially
introductory technology in this particular areas of the study.
Significance of the Study
The result of the study
will be significant in a number of ways. It is hoped that the result will
enlighten technical teachers and guidance/ counselors more on the attitudes of
students to the subjects. It will also help the parents and teachers to be more
alert to their responsibilities and show more interest/concern in the subjects
so as to improve the performance of students in introductory technology. The
result of this study will also help to educate the employers of teachers on the
types of technical teachers. Based on their qualification that should be
employed to teach introductory technology. Also, it is hoped that the results
will enable the students that could offer technical subjects at the senior
secondary school level to increase interest in the ways to help or achieve the
nation’s educational objectives in order to improve our skills/inventions in
the field of technical education and technology.
Scope of the Study
The study covers six
secondary schools that offer introductory technology in Okitipupa Local
Government Area of Ondo-State. It covers sixty (60) students and (12) twelve
technical teachers in the selected secondary schools.
Research Questions
In order to accomplish
the objectives of the study the following research questions are put forward,
to guide the investigation.
1
What are the effects of Government policies implementation on
the performance of the students in introductory technology in our school?
2
What is the effect of teaching resources on the performances of
students in introductory technology?
3
What is the effect of parental motivation or home background on
the performance of students in introductory technology?
4
What is the effect of the student’s attitude towards the study
of introductory technology?
5
What is the effect of the teachers/students-relationship on the
performance of students in introductory technology?
Definition of Terms
In order to ensure that
the readers of the report/study are carried along the stream of thought, it is necessary
to define a number of unfamiliar terms/word such as:-
1
Science:- The study of
knowledge which can be made into a system and which usually depends on seeing
and testing of facts and stating of natural laws.
2
Performance:- This means the
academic achievement as expressed by scores on achievement test.
3
Technology:- Study of the
application of scientific discoveries.
4
Attitude:- The manner or teaching
towards the teaching or both of integrated science, that is feelings towards
the subject.
5
National Business and
Technical Examination Board:- (NABTED). This is examinations to general
education and all vocational trades in the technical college nation wide at the
end of the three years programmes.
6
Technical colleges:- These are mostly
schools designated as senior secondary schools offering mainly, and in most
cases, only technical education subjects. They also train students in the
skills that make them craft man or master craftsman that are courses offered in
vocational education.
7
Vocational education:- This is defined as
vocational or technical training or retraining which is designed to prepare
individuals for gainful employment as semi-skills or skilled workers or
technicians or sub-professionals in recognized occupations (encyclopedias of
Education 1996.)
