Social Studies Student-Teachers’ Preparation for Effective Use of Teaching and Learning Materials: The Case of Northern Colleges of Education in Ghana ()
1. Background to the Study
According to Adeyanju (1997), learning can be defined as a relatively permanent change in behavior over time and this is brought about partly by experience. It can occur as a result of newly acquired skills, knowledge, perception, facts, principles, and new information at hand (Adeyanju, 1997). Broadly, teaching learning materials refers to a spectrum of educational materials that teachers use in the classroom to support specific learning objectives as set out in the lesson plans. According to Klaus (2010) teaching learning materials are tools that classroom teachers use to help their students learn quickly and thoroughly. A teaching aid can be as simple as a chalkboard or as complex as a computer program. They are the tools used to convey information in the classroom. Tamakloe, Amedahe, & Atta (2005) also defined teaching learning material as a material which the teacher uses to facilitate the learning, understanding and acquisition of knowledge, concept, principles or skills by his students. Students learning outcome is influenced by appropriate utilization of teaching learning resources.
Learning can be reinforced with different teaching/learning materials as they stimulate, motivate as well as focus learners’ attention for a while during the instructional process. Teaching/learning materials are devices through which teaching and learning are facilitated in schools (Agun & Okunrotifa, 1989). Examples of teaching/learning material include visual aids, audio aids, real objects and many others. Visual aids are designated materials that may be locally made or commercially produced. They come in form of, for example, wall-charts, illustrated pictures, pictorial materials and other two dimensional objects. There are also audiovisual aids. These are teaching machines like radio, television, and all sorts of projectors with sound attributes. Television and radio programmes provide another useful geography teaching/learning resource. Films, likewise, are a popular teaching/learning resource.
In addition to helping students remember important information, teaching/ learning resources have other advantages. When properly used they help gain and hold the attention of students. Audio or visual aids can be very useful in supporting a topic, and the combination of both audio and visual stimuli is particularly effective since the two most important senses are involved (Burrow, 1986). Teachers should keep in mind that they are like salesmen of ideas, and many of the best sales techniques that attract attention of potential clients are well worth considering. Clearly, a major goal of all teaching is for the students to be able to retain as much knowledge of the subject as possible, especially the key points. Numerous studies have attempted to determine how well teaching/learning resources serve this purpose. Findings from the studies vary greatly from modest results which show 10 - 15 percent increase in retention to more optimistic results in which retention is increased by as much as 80 percent (Burrow, 1986).
Teaching and learning resources are prerequisite in any educational setting. Teaching at any level requires that the students be exposed to some form of simulation. Okobia (2011) defines teaching resources as anything that can assist the teacher in promoting teaching and learning. When the students are given the chance to learn through more senses than one, they tend to learn faster and easier. The use of instructional materials provides the teacher with interesting and compelling platforms for conveying information since the use of instructional materials motivate learners to learn more. Furthermore, the teacher is assisted in overcoming physical difficulties that could have hindered his effective presentation of a given topic.
It is widely recognized that qualified and competent teachers are an essential component of school programmes that result in improved outcomes for learners at all levels of education (Barnett, 2004). Whereas teachers are important in improving quality education in any educational system, it is often said that the quality of an educational system cannot be greater than the quality of its teachers, and yet often not much attention is paid to understanding how systems that produce teachers can be made more effective to impact on learning outcomes. The centrality of the teacher in the teaching and learning process is widely acknowledged and the link between low pupil achievement and the skills and competence of teachers is consistently made (UNESCO, 2005). Research examining teacher quality confirms the logical conclusion that poor quality of students’ learning correlates strongly with poor quality of teachers’ teaching and it is widely assumed that initial teacher education and training (ITET) and continuing professional development (CPD) make a difference in teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and skill which in turn is reflected in enhanced student learning outcomes (Dembélé & Lefoka, 2007).
Teachers are an important resource in the teaching and learning process as the implementers of curriculum. To teach effectively, teaching and learning resources play a major role as they manipulate information and make it easier for learners to understand difficult concepts, thereby encouraging further learning. According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Sessional Paper No. 1, (2005) teachers are an important resource in the teaching and learning process. An outstanding problem militating against effective teaching of social studies in schools is lack of expert teachers in the field. In recognition of this fact,
Teacher education is therefore an integral component of education Kafu (2007). It is a set of phenomenon which includes knowledge in pedagogical skills, instructional media and pedagogical content knowledge. Teacher preparation therefore should enable teachers acquire sufficient subject mastery and pedagogy. Teacher educators and trainees should be provided with a variety of teaching and learning resources as these are some of the tools that facilitate effective teaching. Optimal use of resources can be hampered by unavailability, inaccessibility, cost and lack of knowledge to operate equipment among other reasons.
Inadequate supply and utilization of instructional materials including textbooks which can increase teachers/students awareness and reinforce learning is an obstacle to the teaching of social studies. Obiada (1980) holds that there are trained teachers for social studies but most of them handling the subjects at present still have little knowledge about the new integrated social studies methodology. Although the social studies programme has been in existence for years in the teacher training colleges in the country, there has not been meaningful and comprehensive programme and drive at training social studies teacher The National Development Plan (1997-2001) notes improvement of the relevance of education requires the selection and utilization of facilities in which the learning resources are inclusive. Teacher training programmes are meant, among other reasons, to equip teachers with the appropriate instructional knowledge, skills, and for teachers to develop required attitude towards use of instructional media.
In the Colleges of Education (CoEs), TLMs are even more important bearing in mind that the CoEs train teachers who after training teach children in the primary schools. Consequently, the value of content delivery can be seen helping in CoE. Therefore, it should not be overlooked because it has far reaching impact on the quality of education in the CoEs.
1.1. Statement of the Problem
Teacher preparation is meant to cultivate in the trainees’ skills and attitudes that would make them appreciate the need to use teaching and learning materials once they graduate. Colleges of education are therefore expected to be endowed with TLMs and should readily avail to the teacher trainees’ opportunities that would enable them gain firsthand experience in the utilization of teaching and learning materials. Social Studies is an interdisciplinary subject drawn from, Geography, History and Government and other disciplines such as Religious Education, Business Education, Science, Maths and Creative Arts. The subject aims at providing the student teacher with knowledge, skills, desired attitudes and values which are a prerequisite for living appropriately in both physical and social environments. The teaching of this subject therefore requires appropriate use of TLMs in its delivery. The problem of inadequacy of teaching and learning resources affects the number of activities that a teacher can plan for a lesson thus limiting teachers in their efforts to vary their teaching techniques. Previous studies have shown that utilization of instructional media in teaching is not adequately done in most public learning institutions. According to study done by Ayoti, Simiyu, Ongeti, & Poipoi (2013) instructional media were not utilized in teaching because teachers rarely prepared any.
Teaching and learning materials have an undoubted role to play in contemporary scholarly endeavours. This is more so in the formative learning years where learners are able to learn more through audio-visual devices as opposed to mere abstraction of facts. Though vital, the use of media in classroom teaching is determined by how it is perceived by the teachers who are responsible for putting them to use (Ayoti & Poipoi, 2013). As a rule, educational experiences that involve the learner physically and that give concrete examples are retained longer than abstract experiences such as listening to a lecture. Teaching and learning materials help add elements of reality—for instance, including pictures or highly involved computer simulations in a lecture.
1.2. Research Objectives
The main objective of the study was to establish the extent to which student-teachers in the Sangnarigu District were exposed to the use of TLMs during social studies lessons. The specific objectives were to:
1) Assess the types of TLMs available for use during the teaching and learning of social studies
2) Determine how often social studies tutors introduce TLMs in their lessons.
3) Examine how appropriately tutors introduce TLMs in their lessons.
The study was guided by the following research questions namely:
1) Research Question 1: What are the types of TLMs available for use during the teaching and learning of social studies?
2) Research Question 2: How often do social studies tutors introduce TLMs in their lessons?
3) Research Question 3: How appropriately do tutors introduce TLMs in their lessons?
1.3. Significance of the Study
The findings of this study would provide data on the use of TLMs in the northern Colleges of education. Specifically, the findings would be of value to student-teachers who are the future implementers of the social studies curriculum in Ghana. Moreover, it may explore the major factors affecting the utilization of these instructional materials at CoEs thereby suggesting feasible recommendations that encourage utilization of instructional materials. The study would reveal tutors’ knowledge of the use of teaching learning resources and effective ways of using them. This would help them select the right type of teaching learning resources for their lesson and prepare them in advance; thereby enhancing students’ understanding of their lessons. The study is expected to be of great use to tutors, student-teachers, curriculum researchers and developers as well as professionals in the field of education and to improve the use of teaching learning resources. It is hoped that the findings of this study would encourage the utilization of available teaching and learning resources by tutors and student-teachers to enhance the teaching and learning process.
The findings of this study would also help the curriculum planners develop and disseminate instructional materials to be used in the teaching and learning process in both colleges and schools in the country. It is also hoped that this study would provide empirical data to researchers and other interested scholars who would wish to undertake studies on utilization of teaching and learning resources as well as illustrate the gaps that come along as a result of the study therefore opening more areas for future studies in this field of study. Moreover, this study would contribute to the already existing body of knowledge and form basis for further research work thereby spurring future research in the area of study.
2. Research Methodology
The study adopted the descriptive cross sectional survey design to obtain data from the social studies tutors and student-teachers in order to assess the use of TLMs by social studies tutors in the Sangnarigu District. A survey research according to Aborisade (1997), is the one the researcher is interested in studying certain characteristics, attitudes, feelings, beliefs, motivations, behaviour, opinions of a population, which may be large or small, without attempting to manipulate any variables. The descriptive design selected for the study was appropriate because in the first place descriptive survey is basic for all types of research in assessing the situation as a prerequisite for conclusion and generalization (Osuala, 2001).
This design was considered ideal, since the study involved collecting data in order to answer questions about utilization of teaching and learning materials in social studies instruction. Chandran (2004), posits that descriptive study describes the existing conditions and attitudes through observation and interpretation techniques. This study was undertaken in the Sangnarigu District of Ghana. This study area was chosen because the researcher can easily access the study area. In addition, the District plays host to two colleges of education, namely, Tamale College of Education (TACE) and Bagabaga College of Education (BaCE). From the reviewed literature, efficient utilization of the available instructional resources translates to enhanced teaching and learning.
The choice of this study area was based on the consideration of the fact that lack of proper selection and utilization instructional resources in teaching lessons or its inadequate provision poses a great learning challenge to the teacher trainees. Substantial access, selection and utilization of these resources contribute to the teachers’ and learners’ competence. Therefore, the choice of this area was to determine if tutors utilized instructional resources in social studies instruction for effective implementation of social studies curriculum.
The population for the study was social studies tutors and year 2 student-teachers of two colleges of education during the 2020-2021 academic years at the Sangnarigu District. The population of social studies tutors were those at post within the District because they could give relevant information on the topic under study. The year 2 students were considered because, unlike the year 1 students, they had gained enough educational experience and were more likely to offer useful ideas and responses on the phenomenon under investigation. Year 3 students were engaged in various communities with off-campus teaching practice and were therefore not available for the study. There were 10 social studies tutors and 220 year 2 student-teachers in the District. The total population was 230 representing two categories (10 social studies tutors and 220 students).
A sample size of 150 comprising 140 student-teachers and 10 Social studies tutors were selected for the study. This selection is in line with guideline provided by Krejcie & Morgan (1970) which suggests that a minimum sample size of 140 must be selected from a population of 220 while a minimum sample of 10 must be selected from population size of 10. Purposive sampling was used to select the sample of tutors for the study. In purposive sampling the sample is selected on the basis of the researcher’s knowledge of the elements of the population (Babbie, 1990). Social Studies tutors were purposively selected for the study since they provided key information relevant to this study. Social Studies tutors are charged with the responsibility of implementing the Social Studies Curriculum by exposing the student teachers to various teaching and learning resources. Second year teacher trainees have been exposed more to the utilization of teaching and learning resources during their training. Random sampling was used to select sample. In random sampling, each element of the population has an equal chance of being selected. The selection of the student-teachers was based on the year of study and in this case, the second year students were selected.
Two sets of questionnaires used in this study one for the tutors and another for the student-teachers. The quantitative data obtained was analyzed using frequencies and percentages. Orodho (2004) notes that a questionnaire has the ability to collect a large amount of information in a reasonably quick space of time and the response can be easily analyzed. The questionnaires for tutors and student-teachers comprised of closed-ended items. This enabled the respondents to give specific responses. The Questionnaire was divided into four parts namely A, B, C and D. Part A solicited bio-data of tutors. Part B solicited data on the availability of TLMs for teaching and learning. Part C solicited data on the frequent use of TLM while part D solicited data on the appropriate use of the TLMs.
Ethics are norms or standards of behaviour that guide moral choices about one’s behaviour and relationships with others (Cooper & Schindler, 2006). In line with these norms, the study was guided by the following ethical considerations: 1) Introduction letter was obtained from the Principal of TaCE, the workplace of the researcher. 2) A permit from the Sangnarigu District Education office was obtained. 3) A good rapport was maintained between the researcher and the respondents. 4) Information given by the respondents was treated as private and confidential. 5) Feedback of results—the participants must know the findings to reinforce future interest in research. The objectives and purpose of the study were explained to all the respondents so as to get their consent before the commencement of the study.
3. Results and Discussion
The demographic information included gender, age, level of education, and years of teaching experience. The demographic information of the respondents was necessary to understand the nature of the respondents who were taking part in the research study. The researcher sought the views of both genders on the extent to which student-teachers were exposed to the use of TLMs in teaching Social Studies in their CoEs. The data is summarized in Table 1 and Table 2.
From Table 1, there is an indication that majority 84 (60%) of the respondents were males and their female counterparts were in the minority 56 (40%). This shows that the males dominate in terms of education more than females. In terms of their age range, it was found out that, out the of the 140 respondents’ majority 78 (56%) were within the age range of 18 - 20 years of age. As many as 56 (40%) of them were above 20 years while only 6 (4%) were less than 18 years old. This result shows that; majority of the respondents were young adult teachers.
From Table 2, majority of the respondents (tutors) in the colleges were male (6) representing 60% followed by the female tutors (4) representing 40% of the respondents. Though the majority of the respondents were male, there is no significance difference between teachers’ gender in the use of resources in teaching Social Studies. Majority 6 (60%) of them were married, followed by 3 (30%) who were single with only 1 (10%) who was widowed. In terms of academic qualification, the table shows that all the tutors have at least a second degree. Thus, it is evident that all the tutors were qualified to teach in the colleges and it is expected that the tutors were professionally qualified to use TLMs.
Almost all the tutors (9) representing 90% had teaching experience of at least 5 years. Indeed, only 1 (10%) tutor had less than 5 years of teaching experience. This underlines the professionalism of the tutors, after gaining much experience. The result implies that most of the tutors had been in the teaching profession long enough and were therefore adequately equipped to prepare and utilize TLMs during social studies lessons. Fakomogbon (2012) in a study on the use of instructional media (IM) in teaching and learning in selected schools in Nigeria, confirmed that the experience a teacher had with IM through in-service training, workshops and conferences promoted utilization of instructional media.
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Table 1. Background information of respondents (student-teachers).
Source: Field data, 2021.
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Table 2. Background information of respondents (social studies tutors).
Source: Field Data, 2021.
Onasanya (2008) in a study on preparing primary school teachers on selection, production and use of instructional media for effective classroom teaching in Nigeria, also found that the skills accumulated by teachers with years of exposure to instructional materials equipped them to produce and utilize instructional media. This was similarly observed by Ivers (2002) in a study on use of instructional media in the classroom in Orange County, California. The study noted that increased teachers’ experience with IM improved their instructional skills and assisted them in meeting their own individual learning goals.
3.1. Research Question 1: What Are the Types of TLMs Are Available for Use during the Teaching and Learning of Social Studies?
The study sought to establish the available TLMs for teaching and learning of Social Studies topics. The study sought the tutors views on the availability of TLMs for use during social studies lesson delivery. Their responses are as shown in Table 3 below.
All the 10 (100%) tutors were of the view that teachers’ and pupils’ textbooks, charts, pictures, magazines, notice boards and real objects were available. The fact that Magazines could be accessed by all tutors implied that they did not have to concentrate only on the approved textbooks in their preparation and teaching which may not have provided all the information for effective teaching of social studies. The findings further revealed that out of the 10 tutors, 8 (80%) of them agreed that Atlases and computers were available while 2 (20%) of them disagreed
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Table 3. Availability of TLMs for Teaching during social studies lesson delivery.
Source: Field data, 2021.
on this. Regarding news papers, the tutors were equally divided in their opinions with 5 (50%) of them indicating that they were available while the rest 5 (50%) said they were not available.
Regarding audio tapes and resource persons, only 1 (10%) agreed while the rest 9 (90%) disagreed that they were available. This may have made the learners miss out on the development of listening skills as well as bringing reality into the lesson thus making the content applicable to their lives. Jacinta & Regina (1992) assert that audio tapes bring reality into the classroom and add interest and enjoyment to the lesson. The school radio was available to only 2 (20%) of the tutors while 8 (80%) said they did not have it. Pupils should be exposed to radio lessons since they are tailored to provide perfect learning based on thorough preparation (Jacinta & Regina, 1992). Pictures were available to 28 (70%) while 12 (30%) gave a negative response. The findings also revealed that the television was available to only a handful 3 (30%) while 7 (70%) had no access to them. Most of the teachers appear to be keen on preparation for their lessons as 9 (90%) agreed to teacher made-notes with only 1 (10%) not having teacher-made notes and thus may have depended on textbooks only.
From the responses, the CoEs were generally not adequately equipped with the TLMs needed for effective delivery of social studies lessons. Barrett et al. (2006) (citing Lee et al. 2005) reported that availability of textbooks had significant and positive impact on learning outcomes of children. Ankomah et al. (2005) also pointed out that the type of TLMs, their quality and quantity enable teaching and learning to impact considerably on the quality of education. The inadequacy of TLMs in the CoEs is likely to lead to poor hands-on experiences resulting in academic performance of student-teachers, an observation which is consistent with the views of Kisitu (2008) (citing New Jersey State Department of Education, 2004) that TLMs afford children the opportunity to have hands-on experiences, which increases and develops their knowledge.
Dewey notes that sincere knowledge and productive understanding are achieved through manipulating appropriate TLMs (Dewey, 1966). This means that better knowledge and skill acquisition can be developed through hands-on activity or learning by doing (Yavuz & Güzel, 2020). The implication of this is that, the success in the teaching and learning process could be influenced by the TLMs made available to support it and the direct ways in which these resources are used. Therefore, inadequate resource persons, audio Tapes etc. could compromise the quality of lesson delivery the CoEs. This goes to emphasize that a student-teacher could be trained to practice what is learnt through the training, yet, could be constrained by inadequate exposure to TLMs which is needed to facilitate interactive teaching and learning process.
3.2. Research Question 2: How Often Do Social Studies Tutors Introduce TLMS in Their Lessons?
According to Sampath (1990) one remembers 50% of what they learn through sight and hearing. Learners should, therefore, be exposed to different teaching materials. Bizimana & Orodho (2014) which indicated that materials for teaching and learning should be used in delivery of the course content. In line with this the research question two sought to find out from the study participants (students) the frequency of use of TLMs by tutors in their social studies lesson delivery. Their responses are presented in Table 4.
From the table majority (100 representing 71%) of the students surveyed indicated that indicated that they always used pupils’ textbooks while 30 (21%) indicated that they occasionally used pupils textbooks. Only 10 (7%) of them were of the view that they never used the textbooks. This implied that the teachers made use of materials that were available as earlier indicated in Table 3. Regarding teachers’ references, 80 (57%) indicated that they always used them while 30 (21%) indicated that their teachers used them occasionally. Majority, 90 (64%), of the respondents indicated that they occasionally used audio tapes while 40 (29%) never used audio tapes. Only 10 (7%) indicated they always used them. Regarding the school radio, majority 80 (57.14%) indicated that they occasionally of them used it while 40 (29%) indicated they never used it. Only 20 (14%) indicated that they used it always. With regard to Atlases, 80 (57%) indicated they used them always, 20 (14%) said they used them occasionally while 40 (29%) indicated that they never used them. From the table show, majority, 70 (50%) indicated that they used newspapers always, 50 (36%) indicated that they newspapers occasionally. Only 20 (14%) indicated they never used them.
The findings further indicated that 90 (64%) of the respondents always used charts, 20 (14%) used them occasionally and 30 (21) never used charts. With regard to pictures, 95 (68%) indicated that they never used them, 35 (25%) said they used them occasionally while 10 (7) said they never used them always. Considering the fact that 83.0% of learners learn through sight (Sampath, 1990), it is obvious that a vast majority of the students were disadvantaged. When asked to state the frequency of use of magazines, only 6 (4.30%) indicated that they used them always, 37 (26.43%) indicated that used them occasionally. An overwhelming majority 97 (69.29%) indicated they never used them. The study further revealed that 80 (57%) of the students never used notice boards. Only 30 (21.42%) of them indicated that they always used them while the rest of the 30 (21%) stated that they occasionally used them. With regards to use of Resource persons, only 12 (9) indicated that they always used them. As many as 99 (71%) of them indicated that they occasionally used them while 29 (21%) indicated that they never used them.
On the use of computers, majority 87 (62%) of them respondents were of the view that they never used computers during lessons, 23 (16%) indicated they used them occasionally while 30 (21.42) of them stated that they used them always. on the use of television 79 (56%) stated that they used them occasionally, 36 (26%) stated that they used them always while 25 (18%) indicated that they never used them at all. Regarding the use of real objects majority 109 (78%) felt that they occasionally used real objects. Twenty one (15%) stated that they always
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Table 4. Frequency of Use of TLMs in Social Studies lessons.
Source: Field data, 2021.
used them while a few 10 (7%) indicated that they never used them. On the use of teacher-made notes, as many as 94 (67%) indicated that tutors used these notes during lesson delivery, 18 (13) indicated the tutors occasionally used them while a few 28 (20%) of the students felt that the tutors never used them.
Generally, the colleges of education are not adequately equipped with TLMs. The few TLMs are not often used for the benefit of learners. The frequent use of TLMs where the learners have access to them for manipulation reduces teachers’ task of having to provide detailed explanation to concepts. According to French (2007), TLMs are supposed to be available for use by both tutors and student-teachers so they can manipulate them—for instance by touching, moving and tasting in order to have hands-on experience—for better understanding of what they learn. Learning without TLMs is likely to be abstract rather than real and practical and the lessons may not be interesting enough to capture the attention of the learners and make them active as advocated by Montessori (1949). Aside the inadequacy of TLMs in the CoEs, the few TLMs that were available were not often used, so teachers could only reference them without learners being able to touch or manipulate them.
3.3. Research Question 3: How Appropriately Do Tutors Introduce TLMS in Their Lessons?
Oppong Frimpong (2017) argues that teachers’ ability to meaningfully use TLMs in their lessons and to create the necessary environment and opportunities for their children to have access to the TLMs and to manipulate them is central to the provision of quality education. The study therefore investigated the appropriate use of the TLMs during delivery of social studies lessons. This was achieved by seeking the views of the respondents (tutors) on the appropriate use of the TLMs. Their views are presented in Table 5.
Out of the 10 tutors, 4 (40%) were of the view that TLMs are used before lesson delivery while the majority, 6 (60%) felt otherwise. Again, 4 (40%) of them strongly agreed and another 2 (20%) agreed that TLMs are used during lesson delivery when it is necessary to aid understanding. Out of the remaining 4 tutors, 3 (30%) of them disagreed and 1 (10%) strongly disagreed with this statement. While an Overwhelming majority 7 (70%) did not agree with the statement that TLMs are not necessarily needed in teaching and learning, only 1 (10%) tutor strongly agreed and another 2 (20%) agreed with this statement. Similarly, minority of the respondents 4 (40%) were of the view that TLMs are only used for the introduction of the lesson while majority 6 (60%) were not of this view.
Regarding the use of TLMs, 4 (40%) strongly agreed and 3 (30%) agreed that TLMs are used at every stage of the lesson delivery while only 1 (10%) disagreed and another 2 (20%) strongly disagreed with this statement. Minority of the tutors 4 (40%) were of the view that TLMs are used during lesson delivery to sustain the attention of learners while the majority 6 (60%) felt otherwise. Majority 7 (70%) were not of the view that TLMs are used at the end of lesson delivery to prove the concepts being taught. Only 3 (30%) of them felt that TLMs are used at the end of lesson delivery to prove the concepts being taught. According to Bizimana & Orodho (2014) TLMs should be used in delivery of the course content before and during the lesson delivery in other to afford learners the opportunity to acquire the relevant information and knowledge in both the classroom and outdoor settings.
Tomlinson (2011) reported that the use of TLMs at the introductory stage of every lesson arouses the interest of students and brings back their prior knowledge with regards to the topic of study. This implies, teachers should make use of teaching and learning materials very beneficial in the delivery of any related concept in other to help the pupils grasp the concept they are required to gain per the stated objectives. With regards to acquisition of hands on experience, 3 (30%) strongly agree, another 3 (30%) agreed that TLMs are used to provide hands on experience to students on the concepts being taught. Out of the remaining 4 tutors, one disagreed and 3 strongly disagreed that TLMs are used to provide hands on experience to students on the concepts being taught.
From the responses, there appear to be a lot of weaknesses in the use of TLMs by the tutors that must be addressed to ensure effective lesson delivery by social studies tutors. Literature indicates that the availability of TLMs and the professional manner in which the teacher uses these TLMs is indispensable in the delivery of social studies lessons (Rinaldi, 2001). Thus, the success of teaching and learning is likely to be influenced by the TLMs made available to support the teaching and learning process and the appropriate manner in which these TLMs are used by teachers and utilized by learners (Yavuz & Güzel, 2020). To ensure
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Table 5. Social studies tutors’ views on the appropriate use of the TLMs in their lesson.
Source: Field data, 2021.
effective use of TLMs for quality teaching and learning, Mooney (2000) stated that TLMs should be organized in such a way that the children can find and put away when the need be. This implies that it will be difficult for the children to have a good understanding of what they learn leading to good academic performance if the TLMs are not used appropriately to provide the needed hands on experience.
4. Conclusion
Based on the findings, the study concludes that student-teachers are not well exposed and prepared adequately for the use of TLMs to teach social studies. The study has established that even though the CoEs under investigation have quite a number of TLMs that can be made use of, most of these TLMs are not readily accessible for use. Tutors in the CoEs are expected to use TLMs appropriately to suit the individual learners to facilitate learning. It has been established, through the study, appropriate TLMs where the learners have access to them for manipulation reduces teachers’ task of having to provide detailed explanation to concepts. The selection and use of appropriate TLMs provide visual explanation and enhance understanding of learners. Arguably, if TLMs are available then one could consider the accessibility by learners, but as it were, they were in limited supply and are not frequently used by tutors and student-teachers to ensure effective lesson delivery. The appreciate use of TLMs and learners’ opportunity to manipulate them as very key to ensuring teaching and learning. Unfortunately however, there are indications of weaknesses on the part of the tutors in the use of the TLMs.
5. Recommendations
Tutors should create opportunities for learners to interact with TLMs to promote understanding of what they learn. They should also be innovative to identify the natural environment/resources, use them and encourage the learners also to use them to enhance effective teaching and learning process. In addition, Tutors should make for themselves TLMs if there are no resources to buy them. Also, TLMs available in the classroom should be used before and during lesson delivery and not necessarily used only for the introductory stage of the lesson delivery.
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the support and cooperation of the personnel in the Sangnarigu District Education Office and the study participants through whom relevant information was gathered for the study.