1.1 Introduction
Instructional materials are the teaching aids employed by the teacher to improve the effectiveness of instruction. According to Eya and Ureme (2011) instructional materials are teaching materials which a teacher utilized in the course of presenting a lesson in order to make the content of the lesson understandable to the learners. The implication is that the use of instructional materials is inevitable if effective teaching and learning must be achieved. Early childhood education is the term commonly used to describe the formal teaching and care of young children by people other than their family or in settings outside of the home. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) the developmental definition of early childhood education, spans the human life from birth to age eight Osakwe (2009).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Instructional materials are further categorized into diagrams, models, charts toys, cartoons, and maps among others. Others include radio, television, chalkboard, and sustention boards (Eze 2012). The author also gave brief history of instructional material in education and the importance such as gaining of information, retention, recall, thinking, reasoning, interest, imagination as well as better assimilation. Instructional materials are the backbone of whole range of the classroom communication and expedite teaching and learning through various senses of the teachers and learners (Okeke 2013). Hazel (2014), made it clear to show the value of visual materials. Visual materials includes: charts, chalkboard, textbook, models, pictures and flashcard among others.
When a teacher uses instructional materials in teaching, the learner interacts with those instructional materials and they learn from them. Oni (2016) stated that the availability and adequate use of instructional materials promote effective teaching and learning activities in the school while their inadequacy affects the academic performance negatively. According to Ikegulu (2014), instructional materials are used by teachers to enhance the quality of instruction and they help children to understand what has been taught. Availability is the fact that something can be bought, used, or reached, or how much it can be. While Utilization is the action of making practical and effective use of something. (Harnby 2015).
Early childhood education involvement according to Barnard (2001) positively affects home and school participation in education at the long run. A child who fails to acquire early education may suffer emotionally, socially, intellectually and even physically if he or she is trusted into the primary school without a sustainable early childhood education involvement that will give him a solid foundation in the primary school. Infact, for the effective and efficient unfolding and development of a child’s latent abilities, attitudes and other forms of behaviour of positive values in the society in which he lives, early childhood education becomes very imminent. This is of utmost importance because researches on early childhood education have shown that early childhood education involvement have great impact on every facet of a child’s development and had suggested that the first teacher is an extremely important person in the child’s life, hence he becomes a role- model to the child.
Anderson (2002) is of the view that when children are exposed to early childhood education, they develop superior communication skills, necessary physical ability and social unity needed in adult life and an increased cognitive and effective educational balance. Researchers in the field and early childhood educators both view the parents as an integral part of the early childhood process. Early childhood education takes many forms depending on the beliefs of the educator or parent. In today’s world, parents and families contribute as much as teachers, students and administrators to the educational process or even more. More than any other time in history, involving community players represents a high priority of most school settings. The measured and researched positive effect of parent involvement on student academic achievement pushes this area into focus of most school district and early childhood programme goals.
Therefore, in Abuja Municipal Area Council where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to assess the application of instructional materials by teachers on early childhood care instruction.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that many children fail to develop the appropriate language skill may be because their teachers in the school, their parents at home have lost the focus and have failed to see the need in assisting the child to develop his/her linguistic prowess or skills which is very important in human life. As children were not taught by those who are in position to teach how to develop appropriate language skills, these children grow up losing the grip of either their mother tongue or the English Language which is the second official language of instruction to the child.
State Government has brought many innovations in our basic school sector by introducing pre-primary education and its curriculum, yet the quality of primary education still dwindles. Observation made by the researcher shows that primary school pupils are having problem with their literacy curriculum. This could be as a result of teachers not making proper use of instructional materials in teaching literacy curriculum. Despite the introduction of pre-primary education and its objectives which is expected to produce balanced and bright primary school pupils, pupils still perform below expectation. In most teaching and learning situations, teacher does not make use of instructional materials. They prefer “chalk and talk” method which rarely appeals to pupils’ sense of vision and learning. However, the use of instructional materials has not received the necessary attention desired in early childhood education. Where there were instructional materials, pupil learns a lot because they see, touch and feel.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to assess the application of instructional materials by teachers on early childhood care instruction in Abuja Municipal Area Council. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To investigate the availability of instructional materials for the implementation of early childhood literacy curriculum in public schools
- To evaluate the Early Childhood Care Education pre-service teachers’ skills of improvisation of instructional materials used by teachers.
- To determine the utilization of instructional materials for the implementation of early childhood literacy curriculum in the area under study.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Are instructional materials utilized for the implementation of early childhood literacy curriculum in the area under study?
- What is the availability of instructional materials for the implementation of early childhood literacy curriculum in public schools in the area under study?
- What are the Early Childhood Care Education pre-service teachers’ skills of improvisation of instructional materials used by teachers in the area under study?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no significant difference in the mean scores of male and female Early Childhood Care Education pre-service teachers’ skills of improvisation of instructional material used during teaching practice
- H1: There is a significant difference in the mean scores of male and female Early Childhood Care Education pre-service teachers’ skills of improvisation of instructional material used during teaching practice
Hypothesis Two
- H0: Instructional materials are not utilized for the implementation of early childhood literacy curriculum in (AMAC) Abuja Municipal Area Council
- H1: Instructional materials are utilized for the implementation of early childhood literacy curriculum in (AMAC) Abuja Municipal Area Council
1.7 Significance of Study
The study will be of great benefit to the following individuals:
- Parents would have a better insight on the essence of teaching the child to gain mastery of the language of his/her environment. Most parents do not know that they are the first teachers of the child at home. This study will expose them to the knowledge that they should be the first people to impart knowledge to the child, especially concerning children’s language development. With this study and its recommendations, parents would be able to know the best techniques to be always used in teaching language to the children.
- Children will benefit from the findings and recommendations of this study because it will help their teachers and parents to be in good positions to help in teaching or instructing them on the appropriate language to be learned in their communities.
- With the recommendation of this study, teachers would be exposed to know how best to go about teaching or handling children at the lower level of our school system, the primary school. Not only that, they would be exposed to the appropriate methods to be used in teaching language to the child in school, especially at the primary school system.
- The society will be exposed to the proper knowledge of language acquisition to the child in the society. With the recommendations, the society will be able to know how best to assist the child in the area of acquisition and mastery of language.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the assessment of application of instructional materials by teachers on early childhood care instruction in (AMAC) Abuja Municipal Area Council.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Early childhood education: It is the term commonly used to describe the formal teaching and care of young children by people other than their family or in settings outside of the home.
