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 Nigeria emphasized that our children should be educated properly so that they can acquire skills and competencies that would enable them function well and solve problems in the society.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
The findings of the research will help the government through the ministry of education to identify some of the factors affecting student’s academic performances in vocational subjects like economics and come up with the best strategies to solve some of the problems. It will help the ministry of education to understand the need to provide teachers and students with the facilities, materials and policies that will help to improve their performance in the teaching and learning of economics and other related subjects.
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