CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study:-
The modern trend in education and the
complex nature of learning and instruction have made the role of the teachers
more challenging. This new role does not just involve the mere transmission of
information to students but it involves looking at the problems associated with
learning
and instruction. The National Policy on Education (NPE, 2004) in
This is expected to reduce the mere
paper work system associated with the former system of education and which led
to mass unemployment. This new policy on education emphasizes vocational
education and was formulated by the Nigerian educators and policy makers in the
education industry to direct the nation towards technological and economic
development and cultural renewal. The subject areas recommended for study and
compulsory for every child in the post primary school system include science, religion,
civic education, health and physical education, vocational and social studies.
Under the vocational area is economics and other related subjects. According to
Udeagha (2012), economics is an indispensable field of study in education. It
is a subject that is very essential for business. It helps both profit and
non-profit making organizations. This is because it helps these organizations
to make polices which helps for expansion. It also assesses the efficiency of
management to make decisions relating to further investment. It aids proprietor’s
assess the efficiency of management and provide information which assist
parties outside organizations to make objective judgement about the
organization.
According to Ezeoha (2013) in the
secondary schools, the objective of teaching this important subject is to
provide students with the basic method of processing economic data necessary for
making economic decisions, it provide students with the skills necessary for
economic understanding of business vocabulary and to inculcate in the students
an understanding of basic economic concepts and principles as well as how to
apply them in real life situations. In summary, the aim of teaching this
important subject (economics) is to ensure self- reliance among students upon
graduations, as it educate them on how
to be productive, put resources together to manufacture goods and services and
how to make profit from any production
process.
It can be argued from the above views
that academic performance is the outcome of education, it is the extent to
which a students, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals. According
to Izunwa (2012), academic performance represents performance outcomes that
indicate the extent to which a person has accomplished specific goals that were
the focus of activities in instructional environments specifically in schools,
college and university. School systems mostly emphasize cognitive goals that
either apply across multiple subjects areas or include the acquisition of
knowledge and understanding in a specific intellectual domain (e.g. numeracy,
literacy, science, history etc).
Unfortunately, students nowadays perform
poorly in important subjects like economics; the poor performance of students
in economics has become a matter of concern to many people especially to those
in the educational sector. Ezezue (2011) posits that, it is worrisome to note
that the performance of students in economics in external examinations like
WAEC has continued to decline year after year. It is understood that if the
situation in Economics remains like this, it will affect both the economic and
technological growth of the country and the respective states. This is because
a good mastery of economics is required of all students in order to do well in
the society after graduation when they are supposed to start contributing to
the economic growth of the country. Hence, students who are handicapped in
economics are likely to be handicapped in the acquisition of skills in
practical technological and other development oriented subjects.
Suffices
it to say from the foregoing that, to ensure improved students performance in
economics in secondary schools, secondary schools administrators, ministries of
education, school principals and other stakeholders in the education sector
must not lose sight of the importance of qualified teachers of economics who can use effective teaching
methodologies and strategies to stimulate students learning behaviours
positively, exposed the students to practical experience in the field of economics, organize mock sessions on
economics in the classroom and organize training exercises for the students in workshops. This category
of teachers must be employed if improved performance in Economics in secondary
schools must be achieved. Similarly, the government is expected to provide
training workshops for economic teachers on innovative ways of teaching the
subjects. The government is also expected to provide the textbooks and other instructional
materials needed for the teaching of the subjects.
The
implication of this is that where these facilities are not in place, achieving
improved academic performance among secondary schools students will be very
difficult thereby affecting overall economic activities and development of the
country. The thrust of this work therefore is to determine strategies for
improving low academic performance in economics in secondary schools in Afikpo
local government area Ebonyi
State
1.2 Statement
of the Problem
Students
academic gain and learning performance is affected by numerous factors
including gender, age, teaching methods, students’ schooling, parents/guardians’
social economic status, residential area of students, medium of instructions in
schools, tuition trend, daily study hour and accommodations as boarden or day
scholar. Of all these challenges, teachers’ inability to come up with effective
strategies for teaching and improving students’ performance in their subjects
seems to be the most challenging constraints to student’s academic
performances. In some schools, teachers seem not to have played active roles in
promoting students academic performances. Some of them find it difficult to
effectively impact knowledge on the students due to lack of skills necessary
for exposing the students to practical experiences in the various subjects they
teach, for instance, in vocational oriented subjects like economics.
Similarly, the laxity on the part of
some government and school administrators to provide teachers with training
workshops, instructional materials and other infrastructures may also
contribute to poor performance of students in some vocational and practical oriented
subjects like Economics. Where these facilities are lacking teachers and
students would lack the innovative ways and skills necessary for teaching and
learning of practical oriented subjects like economics and other vocational
subjects. Thus, the problem of this study is to determine strategies for
improving low academic performances of students in economics in secondary
schools in Afikpo south local government of Ebonyi state.
1.3 Purpose
of the Study
The
general purpose of this study is to determine strategies for improving low
academic performance in economics in secondary schools in Afikpo South Local
Government Area of Ebonyi state. Specifically, the research will,
1.
Determine whether teachers of economics in
secondary schools have requisite qualifications for enlightening the students
on the loaded benefits of learning economics
2.
Ascertain if there are adequate
infrastructures necessary for teaching practical aspects of economics.
3.
Determine whether teachers of economics in
secondary schools use adequate instructional resources in teaching the
students.
4.
Ascertain whether the government provides
training workshops for economics teachers on innovative ways of teaching the
subjects.
1.4 Significance of the Study
This research will be significant or beneficial to the
governments, educational administrators like schools principals, teachers of
economics, students and upcoming researchers.
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