Project topic: Impact of Audio Visual Materials on Teaching and Learning of Social studies in Selected Primary Schools in Ijebu Ode LGA, Ogun state, Nigeria

CHAPTER 1

Background of the study

Education has remained a social process in capacity building and maintenance of society for decades. It is a weapon for acquiring skills, relevant knowledge and habits for surviving in the changing world. It is the cornerstone of any country’s development. Indeed, education continues to be the instrument for achieving economically, scientific and technological growth and development of any nation.

There is a definite goal for adopting any innovative educational programme and that is- change for the better. The national philosophy of education in Nigeria recognizes the need for social studies Education in building the desired social orientation needed after independence in mobilizing the young citizens for national development. The subject was adopted in Nigeria about 50 years ago as a result of the quest for relevance in the Nigerian education. The traditional subjects like geography, history and civics inherited from the colonial education system according to Mbaba and Omabe (2012) were criticized for not being relevant both in purpose and content to the immediate needs of the Nigerian child and the society at large.

Social Studies in several nations of the world are essentially introduced to meet certain specific needs and aspirations of the people. It is believed that the development of social studies in any country has a peculiar circumstances based on that country’s socio-cultural experiences. In Britain for instance, Social Studies was introduced into the school curriculum after the first and second world wars as panacea for social problems (Edinyang and Ubi 2013).  The Nigerian society is not an exception to this.  According to National Policy on Education (FRN 2004) the first National Educational policy on education is the inculcation of national consciousness and national unity, economic development, international understanding and ethnic tolerance.

Social studies philosophical orientations are focused towards the individual, state and nation. It was in recognition of these basic orientations that the Federal Government directed that social studies be taught as a core subject in primary, secondary and teachers training colleges as well as the universities. This however, partly explains why Social Studies have been given a pride of place at all levels of Nigerian education industry. The corruption free, humane, moral and integrated society which Nigeria is craving for cannot be achieved without a sound foundation as well as instructions in Social Studies. Social Studies as a unique area of discipline are committed to transmitting and forming the values of citizens of this great nation.

On the whole, the primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to take informed and reasoned decisions for the benefit of the public as good citizens of a culturally diverse and democratic society in an interdependent world.  As a course of study, social studies aims at producing students who are creative, patriotic, responsible and useful members of the society.  Put differently, social studies aims at producing people who are able to handle some social issues relating to man’s relationship with his physical and social environments (Onuoha, 2009: 158).

However, Teaching and learning of social studies becomes effective when instructional materials are used effectively and efficiently in a classroom-teaching situation. The usefulness of audio -visual materials in learning cannot be overemphasized. Audio visuals stimulate learners. Their effectiveness is derived from the fact that, learners draw from the different things at the same time, and can interpret the message being communicated by the teacher at different levels.

Audio visual materials are used in the teaching and learning processes to make leaning more enjoyable. Classroom learning depends on effective teaching. Skillful teachers use different techniques to make teaching effective in addition to teaching methods; the subject teacher can introduce audio visual materials.

Audio visual material are teaching and learning tools whose purpose is to make learning easier for the learners. It is well known that audiovisual materials are widely used for the educational purposes throughout the world and a glance at any statistics of manufacture will show how large their production is. In the United States alone for instance, the 1989 production of color Television was 20,955,000 units, video cassette recorders 9,843,000 units, and personal computers was 4, 737,000 units (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1992).

Audio-visual aids are familiar terms in the realm of education. Their importance is growing rapidly as our society becomes complex with its radar, television, electronics and atomic bombs. Today, children live in a world of both auditory and visual stimulation. They are surrounded by comic books, motion pictures, billboards, pictures in newspapers and magazines, trains and airplanes. These and other audio-visual materials, if properly used, can promote the building of accurate concepts essential to learning. (Okpalaoka, 2009)

One major characteristic of good teaching of Social Studies is the ability to inculcate in students a spirit of curiosity and self-instruction (Enem, 2002). A great deal has been discovered about what attracts the interest of children, holds their attention and fosters that natural curiosity. Enem (2002) opined that nothing attracts learners' attention faster than the use of relevant resource materials. For example, bright, contrasting colors seem to stimulate them as well as seize their attention. Similarly, interesting shapes and objects are also very important, especially at the lower levels of our education system.

The use of adequate and relevant audio visual materials has numerous advantages. For example, it facilitates teaching and Learning, and makes Learning faster and more permanent. Teachers do not need to expend a great deal of energy or time in giving out much information or much guidance. Rather, he guides the pupils to find out or discover things on their own. In Social Studies, resource materials, such as audiovisuals encourage the pupils to think critically and reflectively about their lives and their surroundings. This helps to build up the students' self-esteem and confidence.

In addition, resource materials arouse the students' interest on the subject. We all know that interest motivates learning. Social Studies teachers should make effective utilization of audio visual materials in teaching because, they make teaching more meaningful, interesting and more permanent. The extent teachers make use of instructional materials such as audio visual in the teaching of Social Studies is not known. Therefore, the need arises for a determination of the extent of the impact of the use of audio visual materials by teachers use in teaching Social Studies and learning by students at the primary schools.

Statement of problems

Audiovisual ( AV) materials , as a means of enhancing effective teaching/learning process in any educational level, is known to be characterized by challenges. The study is motivated by the fact that pupils do not retain for long or understand what they are taught without audio-visual aids. Such learning does not encourage participation and lacks interest or stimulation. It is not based in sense experience nor does it extend their experience. Above all, such learning cannot be permanent. Yet, there is also evidence of low utilization and non-availability of audio-visual materials in schools. The study will therefore investigate materials in Primary schools in ijebu ode, Ogun state, so that note will be taken of the hindrances and work towards promoting the use of audio-visual materials. The problem of the study therefore, is to know extent to which the use of audiovisual materials affect the teaching of Social Studies as well as its impact on learning process in primary school pupils in Ijebu ode, Ogun state.

Objectives of the study

Regardless of the fact that there are relatively abundant researches on audiovisual materials and teaching and learning in the west, Nigeria, like most developing are information-poor country. The main purpose of the study is to address the impact audiovisual materials have on the teaching and learning of social studies n primary schools.

1.    To address the gaps in information that most scholars have not addressed regarding the impact of AV materials in the teaching/learning of social studies in primary schools.

2.    To discover and document the use of audio-visual aids in teaching and learning processes.

3.    To identify the types and quantity of audio-visual material there are available in the schools, the inhibitions to their use and the frequency of their use by the social studies teachers.

4.    To find out and examine the various challenges associated with using Audio Visual materials in primary schools.

Research Questions

1.    What impact does the use of audiovisual materials have on the teaching and learning of social studies in primary schools?

2.    What types of audiovisual materials are used for teaching and learning of social studies in primary schools?