FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST THE EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF COMPUTER STUDIES EDUCATION IN NIGERIAN SCHOOLS.



FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST THE EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF COMPUTER STUDIES EDUCATION
  IN NIGERIAN SCHOOLS. ( A CASE STUDY OF IKERE
 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EKITI STATE.
Abstract
This project work is designed to investigate the Factors Militating against Teaching - Learning of Computer Science in Junior Secondary School in Enugu North Local Government. This work aims at finding the problems facing the teaching-learning of computer science in junior secondary schools in Enugu North L.G.A, to identify the teaching method used by teachers in teaching-learning of computer in junior classes in Enugu North L.G.A, to identify the problems facing teachers and students in teaching- learning of computer science in Enugu North L.G.A. etc. In the collection of data, the researcher used the following methods; the sample size is 20, sample techniques were randomly selected while the data obtained were analyzed using frequency table sand percentage.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
          The factors militating against the effective teaching and learning of computer studies education in Ikere-Ekiti secondary schools are those factors that make the subject not to be properly understood by the students even at advanced level. They are those limitations which create ineffective understanding by advanced level students of computer studies education in secondary school in Ikere local government.
The research highlighted some factors that contribute to it. They include:
i. Instructional materials (aids) used
ii. The levels or categories of teachers
iii. Teaching methods used
iv. Problems facing students and teachers
v. Physical environmental factors
Background of the Study
          The world is moving at a rapid rate. Events have advanced to the electronic stage with the use of computer at the center. This achievement has come with a lot of innovations and revolution into teaching and learning. The 3R’s which forms the nucleus of the old system of education has passed through series of literacy reforms. The world is now in the age that need to keep abreast with time.
One of the ways of making this is through the introduction of computer into our educational system of learning. John Ugoji (2006) explains computer as an electronic machine that performs tasks. Such as calculations or electronic communication under the control of a set of instruction called programmes. The programmes are usually resided within the computer and are retrieved as processed by the computer’s election. He talked further into defining computer as an electronic machine that has the ability to accept data, process data and retrieve data i.e. gives out the result as information.
Okolo (2007) explains the term, computer as an electronic gadget or machine that accepts data as input and processes it electronically to produce the desired output or information with the help of a set instruction. Computer can be globally defined as an electronic device that accepts data, process the data and brings out the result of the data as information. Involving computer studies education into teaching and learning as a case in Ikere Local Government Secondary Schools simply means that teaching should carry a definition of computer during learning for proper understanding.
          Computer studies education is of paramount importance to national development and it is on this note that the government of Nigeria sought to introduce computer studies in the education system from primary to tertiary institutions in Nigeria.  At secondary school level, a student should enroll for science subjects which Computer Studies education is one of it. On this note the State government went about distributing computer equipment to schools across the state to make teaching and learning of computer studies more effective. Complementing these efforts, private companies donated computers to different schools in the state. However, despite such efforts document analysis carried out reveals that the most of the schools are not offering the subject. This has been the situation continuing even in the schools that received the donations of computer packages, for free. This, therefore, has prompted this current research study to find out why computer studies are not being taught in the most of the schools despite the significance of the subject to national growth and development and in the face of support from the political and corporate leadership.
          Nigeria gained independence in 1960 and by then notable developments have been made in Information Communication Technology (ICT) of which computer studies is a branch. Before independence, bottleneck type of education was practiced and the few schools where the majority of Nigerians received education were highly marginalized in general terms of scientific education or scientific advancement. When Nigeria attained independence, education was made free for all, sadly, computer science remained a preserve subject for the elite. Worse still the schools where the general populace of Nigeria was and still is being educated are under equipped as well as being under staffed with reference to ICT.
          Chinekwu (2003) explains teaching as the interaction between a teacher and a student under the teacher’s responsibility in order to bring about the desirable change in behavior of the learner (student). Similarly, Akubue (2007) describes teaching as a systematic activity deliberately engaged by somebody to facilitate learning of the intended worthwhile skills, knowledge and values by another person and getting the necessary feedback. This definition underscores the need for quality teachers’ education program, meant to develop in -serving and trainee teachers in quality ICT uses, for successful ICTs integration in teaching. As a result of this, the teachers’ task is to influence desirable positive changes in behavior of the learners (students). Therefore the success of any teaching has been measured by the extents to which the teacher is able to achieve the desired learning in the life of the learner. Also, to achieve the objective of teaching i.e positive change in behavior; the teacher must know the levels of learning experience to engage in and the best instructional materials to use in order to bring about such change in behaviour. Thus, the importance of teaching as veritable tools for fine tuning the economic, political and social development of this nation cannot be achieved if teacher does not integrate and use information and communication technologies (ICTs) resources in his teaching.
Statement of Problem
          An investigation into the factors that militate against the effective teaching and learning of computer studies in Ikere Local Government Area. A computer study is a technical subject which demands a skilful teacher to handle it, if the students should be expected to do well in it. Following this assertion, it is known that the secondary schools in Ikere local Government are faced with problems that hinder the effective teaching and learning of all the subjects especially-computer science.
Research Questions
The following questions are going to be asked to guide the study
i.                   What are the problems that militate against the effective teaching and learning of computer science?
ii.                What are the causes of the problems that militates against the effective teaching and learning of computer science?
iii.              What are the various types of instructional materials used in teaching and learning of computer science in secondary schools?
iv.              What are the problems facing teachers and students during teaching and learning of computer science?
The purpose of the Study
The overall purpose of this study is to identify and analyse factors militating against the effective teaching and learning of computer science in some secondary schools in Ikere Local Government.
Specifically, the purposes of the study are:
i.                   To identify problems that militates against the effective teaching and learning of computer studies in Ikere local Government.
ii.                To establish the causes of the problems that militates against the effective teaching and learning of computer studies in Ikere local Government.
iii.              To propose solutions for the problems that militates against the effective teaching and learning of computer studies in Ikere local Government.
iv.              To identify the teaching method of used by the teacher during computer classes.
v.                 To identify the types of instructional materials used in the process of teaching and learning of computer science.
Significance of the Study
The findings of the study would help teachers improve the art of teaching computer science in both theory and practice.
The findings of the study will enable and help the computer science teachers to discover the areas that they need to improve on.
The findings of the study will equally lead to the discovering of students’ problems or weaknesses in the study of computer science.
The findings of the study will enable students to identify their own problems in the study of computer science.
Definition of Terms
Teaching: - is an establishment of an environment for effective learning or imparting knowledge to someone less skilled or knowledgeable in a particular domain of knowledge.
Learning: - is the process of acquiring knowledge, attitudes and skills
Effective teaching refers to teaching which provides the learning supports, adjustments and accommodations that students with additional needs require to enable learning and participation
Effective learning refers learning strategies which involves the student in metacognitive processes of planning, monitoring and reflecting whether the adopted strategies enhances learning
Militate: - is hindering/preventing the effective teaching and learning processes
Computer Science: - a discipline that seeks to build a scientific foundation for computer design, computer programming, information processing algorithmic solutions problems, and the algorithmic process itself.
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