Impact of Play Way Method on Academic Performance of Pupils in English Language in Primary Schools

IMPACT OF PLAY WAY METHOD ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PUPILS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN OBOT AKARA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study

Oladipo and Ayeni (2010) assert that teaching entails effecting, or at the very least promoting, desired changes in students. But, for effective instruction, the instructor must leave the comfort zone of their own knowledge and enter the world of the students (Brown, 2017). For learning to take place, the learner must be actively involved and make a commitment to do so.

Instruction is the transmission of knowledge, skills, or other ingrained information to the learner and his subsequent acquisition of it. The term “method” refers to the kind of training or teaching used to accomplish these goals.

Hence, methodology refers to the procedures and methods a teacher in either early childhood or primary education utilizes to impart knowledge, skills, and information to the students in order to make it easier for them to achieve the specified goals.

According to research, the greatest challenge facing teachers in primary and nursery schools is deciding how best to teach their students. In response to this claim, Adepoju (2016) argued that primary school students who were taught verbally, such as through the lecture method, experienced some difficulties in their secondary education. These difficulties included poor language development, poor communication skill development, and poor academic performance.

This is also confirmed in the study carried out in Nigeria by Busari (2011), the study revealed that the method presently employed in teaching, in most of our public primary schools is inadequate or not effective.

It is of a necessity that a skillful teacher therefore needs to be conversant with various teaching strategies which may be applied to subjects at different class situations. However, many methods of teaching exist in the teaching/learning process which is meant to make teacher succeed in their bid to disseminate knowledge. Among these methods, play-way seems to be crucial for the teachers at the primary school level as the children engage in play activities than when they are expose to verbal discussion.

Play-way method of teaching is an inductive method where teaching occurs gradually with fun and plays which also nourishes the language proficiency effortlessly. It involves the use of rhymes and poems in passing out information to the pupils. Play-way method is the practical use of rhymes and poems in explaining lesson contents to the pupils (Isang, 2015). Play-way is often used when learners have a hard time connecting theories to actual practice or when they are unable to understand application of theories and may develop lack of interest towards the lesson.

Teachers should not only introduce rhymes and fun games for specific learning concepts within the classroom, they also need to write notes for the pupils to copy into their exercise books on the concepts they present using play. Although the literature is limited, studies show that the effects of play-way method in classroom teaching includes a change of perspective in relating to pupils, more reflection in the teachers own classroom strategies, and more personal responsibility for pupils’ learning.

However, the success in the use of any method differs as a result of an intelligent analysis of the objectives, the pupils in class, the curriculum content or the type of subject matter. Also, the impact of any teaching method is not only limited to the conditions surrounding the teaching but also the advantages and the disadvantages of a particular method in a particular situation should not be left out. Moreover, lecture method is not applicable in teaching the foundational classes.

Also, Ckenzie, (2010) argues that the objectives of the teacher must be considered before the selection of any method. This implies that what the teacher intends to achieve at the end of the lesson should be in line with the selected method. As a result of this factor, it is advisable that a skillful teacher in nursery and primary level of education should consider the factor when he/she needed to achieve his/her stated objectives.

It is however, sustained that various methods of teaching exist but there is a distinctive difference between them. There are methods used in higher education which virtually cannot be use in the lower level of education which nursery and primary education exist.

Nursery and primary education therefore, gives room for any method which will help in facilitating the teaching and learning of a teacher and also make the stated objectives achievable. As a result of this, the study on the comparative study of some play-way and lecture teaching methods and its effects on the academic performance of pupils in primary schools worth pursuing. This therefore formed the background for the current research to investigate on play-way method and academic performance of pupils in English Language in primary schools in Obot Akara Local Government Area.

 

Impact of Play Way Method on Academic Performance of Pupils in English Language in Primary Schools

1.2        Statement of the Problem

Nigeria’s education sector faces a number of difficulties. The biggest area of difficulty for elementary school students is teachers’ failure to choose an effective educational technique. The study’s shortcomings are a result of the absence of adequate qualified teachers, suitable facilities, materials, and methodologies needed to improve educational quality. The ability of teachers to choose an effective instructional strategy for teaching primary school students is thus one of the major challenges facing the educational system. This knowledge also has an impact on the quality of educational institutions’ delivery, as well as the training and production of teachers.

The inability to choose an effective teaching strategy in elementary schools hinders students’ learning because they do not all learn in the same location. So, the goal of this study is to determine whether the play-way technique may help solve the issue of poor student academic performance in elementary schools. So, the purpose of this study is to ascertain how the play-way approach has affected students’ academic performance in English Language in primary schools in the Obot Akara Local Government Area.

 

1.3   Purpose of the Study

The study sought to investigate the impact of play-way method on academic performance of pupils in English Language in primary schools in Obot Akara Local Government Area. Specifically, the study sought to:

1. Investigate the difference in academic performance of pupils taught English Language using play-way method and those taught using lecture method.
2. Investigate the difference in male and female pupils’ academic performance when taught using play-way method.

Impact of Play Way Method on Academic Performance of Pupils in English Language in Primary Schools

1.4         Significance of the Study

This study will be significant in the following ways:

To teachers: it will enhance inventive thinking, ingenuity and resourcefulness among primary school teachers as they will have to think of selecting relevant instructional technique for their lesson.

To pupils: the findings of this study will equip them with the knowledge of the effect of participating during lesson presentation by the teachers in class.

To Curriculum designers: findings of this study will help them in developing curricular for Nigerian teachers of tomorrow will be equipped with knowledge on what type of method to use for instruction in primary schools.

To government: the study will provide them with sound knowledge of organizing seminars to teachers on the instructional methods selection and utilization in teaching of primary school pupils.

To future researchers: they will use the outcome of the research as reference materials on related topics.

 

1.5       Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study:

1. There is no significant difference in academic performance of pupils taught using play-way method and those taught using lecture method in English Language.
2. There is no significant difference in the academic performance between male and female pupils taught using play-way method in English Language.

Impact of Play Way Method on Academic Performance of Pupils in English Language in Primary Schools

1.6   Delimitation of the study

This research work was focus on an investigation into play-way and lecture methods of teaching and academic performance of pupils in primary schools in Obot Akara Local Government Area. This study was also limited to some selected primary schools in Obot Akara Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. The study only focused on primary four (4) pupils’ in selected primary schools in Obot Akara Local Government Area.

1.7   Limitation of the Study

The study faced several challenges which encompassed:

• Lack time due to the time frame allotted for this work by the school authority for the researcher to complete and submit the report of the study.
• Financial constraints in terms of purchasing and processing of materials use for the study. The insufficiency of funds could not help the researcher to cover wider scope on the topic.

1.9   Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms were operationally defined:

Play Way Method: This is a method of teaching which involves the use of fun and plays in teaching the pupils English Language. It involves the use of poems and rhymes in presenting concepts to the pupils.