Geography Related Teaching Methods and Its Effects on Secondary School Students’ Performance In Geography In Buea Municipality
Department: Curriculum Studies and Teaching
No of Pages: 72
Project Code: CST9
References: Yes
Cost: 5,000XAF Cameroonian
: $15 for International students
ABSTRACT
This
research was aimed at finding out “Geography related teaching method and its
effect on secondary school students’ performance in Geography in Buea
municipality”.
Following
the objectives, four research questions were formulated to guide; the study the
effect of lecture illustration methods in teaching affect students’ performance
in geography, to examine the effect of lecture demonstration method in teaching
geography affect students’ performance, to find the influence of cooperative
method of teaching affect students’ performance in geography, to investigate
the effect of discussion method of teaching affects students: performance in
geography.
One
Government, (B.H.S. Molyko) one Mission (B.H.S. Buea) and one Private (ST.I.C.
Molyko) secondary school were used (selected). The views of some authors
related to the study were reviewed under the variable of the study. The sample
survey was used in carrying out the study. The population consisted of all
secondary school students within the Buea Municipality.
The
simple random sampling technique was used. The sample size was made up of 60
students. The instrument used to collect data was the questionnaires, which the
researcher personally carried out. The data collected was analysed using the
mean, standard deviation and the coefficient of variation using concepts and
ideas emerged from the data. Calculations were based on the findings obtained.
The
results revealed that, the methods used such as (Discussion, lecture
illustration, lecture demonstration and the cooperative methods) influences
students’ academic performance represented in Bar and Histogram Charts. More
so, it concluded that the activities undertaken under discussion and
cooperative and illustration methods are of great importance as they have an
influence on students’ performance.
It
is recommended that stakeholders should endeavor to organize seminars,
workshops, and refreshed courses to train teachers on how to use different
teaching methods effectively. Furthermore, suggestions for further research
were made.
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Introduction
Teaching
methods are standard procedure of presenting subject matter and organizing
teacher- student interaction during a lesson. Each teaching strategy is
associated with a method. Teaching methods can be general and specific.
General
teaching methods are the procedure that is common in the teaching of different
subject it has been observed that Geography has been taught in the previous
year’s using the general teaching methods, with this it has affected the
academic performance of Geography in public exams like G.C.E.
On
the other hand, specific teaching methods may be applicable mainly to specific
teaching subjects, thus this research is aimed at looking at the specific
teaching methods which can be in teaching Geography like lecture illustration,
lecture demonstration, discussion, and the interactive (cooperative method),
thus with this specific teaching methods teachers and learner are active
participants in the teaching and learning process as the lessons taught is
always lively and encourages the learners.
For
more than decades research in variety of school districts and states has
subjected considerably heterogeneity as impact of teaching method on student
academic performance. This has acted as stimulus to find out which teaching
method is best for teaching of geography in secondary schools and the impact;
they have on student academic performance.
This
chapter will lay emphasis on background of the study statement of the problem
purpose of the study research questions significant of the study and
operational definition of terms.
Historical Background
In
the past, most parents and teachers where very interested in teaching their
children to grow deeper. In knowledge using different method without using
textbooks which will help them improve on their performance.
Again,
during that time, teachers were untrained unlike today that teachers are
trained and yet performance are low, and student are less active in class, this
is due to lack of interest by the teacher to use these methods appropriately.
Background of the Study
Education
is important in Cameroon and in every country for it contributes to the
political, social, and economic development of every community. More so,
education is a basic human right and it is a basic instruction for achieving
the goal of national unity, political stability, equality and mobilizing all
the potentials of a nation.
Add
to, education is the process of facilitating learning, knowledge, skills,
values, beliefs, and habits of a group of people which are transfer to other
people through storytelling, discussion, teaching and training or through
research. Successful teaching and learning emanate largely from careful
planning, preparation and the methods used in giving out the materials.
Before
this can be done, the teacher must be fully aware of the subject matter and
various teaching methods of teaching. This was according to (Okpala, 1980). Education
describes the total process of human learning by which knowledge is impacted,
faculties trained, and skills developed. Nkeng and Mambeh (2008) viewed
teaching methods as those techniques and strategies used by teachers in their
efforts to facilitate students learning.
An
activity translates curriculum goals and objectives into experience that students
acquire during their interaction with their teacher. Therefore, the ability of
the teacher appropriate use the different strategies will go a long way to
improve on the students’ academic performance.
According
to Tambo (2003), teaching methods are important components for the curriculum
for they determine how effective the objectives would be attained. The teaching
methods are chosen based on the objectives to be attained. Learning outcomes
according to Tambo (2003) are of many types. There are many higher order
learning outcomes and lower order learning outcomes.
While
lower learning outcomes only helps an individual to remember information higher
order leaning outcomes helps an individual to solve problems which is the goal
of education. The teaching methods used are a factor of the kind of learning
outcome. With reference to secondary education in Cameroon, various subject has
been included in the curriculum to enable pupils acquire knowledge and skills.
Certain
subject is categorized as core while others are either vocational electives or
non-vocational electives. Geography is found under core and non-vocational
electives categories. This shows the importance of Geography in achieving
educational goals. However, teaching of Geography as a social science subject
in senior secondary schools is not without some problems.
Poor
academic performance in Geography has been documented by many researchers. This
has also collaborated by high failure in public examination in the country such
as G.C.E (General Certificate of Education). This has been attributed to the
fact that strategies used in our classroom, the different methods used are not
very effective.
Effandi
and Iksan (2007) stated that the quality of education that teachers provide to
students is dependent upon what the teacher does in the classroom. The use of
traditional teaching method such as lecture in Geography classroom has been the
underlying factor for students’ poor performance in the subject.
Clar
and Lalarham (2003), observed that Geography has traditionally used a wide
range of teaching methods than any other subjects. Because of the nature of the
subject which has both physical and human, it calls for paradigm shift from
teacher-centered to learner-centered instructional strategies that permit the
involvement of learners.
Hunter
(1984) and Reinhartz (1980), says that teaching is a constant stream of
professional decisions that affects the probability of learning decisions that
are made and implemented before, during and after interactions with the
students explaining, defining, giving examples, stressing critical attributes
and demonstration.
A
teacher must set a test to find out if students have learned well and the
students should show whether they have understood the lesson by their academic
achievement. In the past most parents and teachers were very interested in
teaching their children to grow deeper in the knowledge using different methods
without using textbooks which will help to improve on their performance.
Again,
during that, time teachers were untrained unlike today that teachers are
trained and yet performance is low, and students are less active in class, this
is due the lack of interest by the teacher to use this method appropriately.
Some
teachers use this methods just as they have seen them without the understanding
that each methods has its way of teaching which depend on the level of the
students and the subject, for instance, most teachers use lecture method in all
subjects and classrooms both secondary and high schools without considering the
age of the students thus, making students not to participate in class or give
them inferential thinking skills leading to a situation where students are not
active in the classroom, this is because most students learn by doing and not
listening.
Furthermore,
some of these teachers use these methods not because they have seen them but
because they are not trained. For a teacher who has not gone through training,
he or she might not be able to apply these methods appropriately, this cause
them to be ignorant about the methods used in teaching Geography which will
arise students’ interest thereby leading to desirable performance.
Education
today is geared towards student-centeredness which means that the teacher must
be trained in order for them to use the appropriate teaching methods well; this
is because they need to direct the students on how these methods are used for
the students to perform well and also become active in the teaching and
learning process.
Statement of the Problem
The
academic performance of students in Geography can be greatly influence by the
methods used in teaching. It was observed during teaching practice experience
that Geography was taught using general teaching methods, which do, not
enhanced effective learning in a subject like Geography and thus affected the
academic performance of Geography students in public exams like G.C.E.
This
has prompted the researcher to carry out a research on the methods used in
teaching Geography and their effects on students’ academic performance.
This
research is therefore aimed at investigating the specific teaching methods like
lecture illustration, lecture demonstration, discussion, and the interactive
(cooperative method), and fine out how their use in the teaching of Geography influence
the teaching and learning process and the academic performance of Geography
students in the Buea Municipality.
Objective of the Study
General Objective
This
research seeks to investigate the different methods used in teaching Geography
and how they influence students’ academic performance in Buea Municipality.
Specific Objectives
The
study seeks to;
- To find out the effect of lecture illustration method (direct method or teacher-centered) in teaching affects students’ academic performance in Geography
- To investigate the use of lecture demonstration method (direct method or teacher centered) in teaching affects students’ academic performance in Geography.
- To find out the influence of the interactive method (indirect method or student-centered) of teaching affects students’ academic performance in Geography.
- To investigate the use of discussion method (indirect method or student-centered) of teaching affects students’ academic performance in Geography
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