AN INVESTIGATION ON THE NEXUS BETWEEN TEACHING METHOD AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

AN INVESTIGATION ON THE NEXUS BETWEEN TEACHING METHOD AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

The basic goal of teaching at any level of education is to effect a fundamental change in the student (Tebabal & Kahssay, 2011). To facilitate the process of information transmission, teachers should use appropriate teaching approaches that best suit specific objectives and level exit outcomes. In contrast to student-centered approaches, many traditional teaching practitioners used teacher-centered methods to convey information to students. Questions about the effectiveness of teaching methods on student learning have sparked a great deal of interest in the field of educational research up to this point (Hightower et al., 2011). Furthermore, teaching and learning research is constantly investigating the extent to which different teaching strategies improve student learning progress. Surprisingly, most students’ poor academic performance is directly related to Inadequate teaching methods used by teachers to impart knowledge to students (Adunola, 2011). According to extensive research on the efficacy of teaching approaches, the quality of teaching is typically mirrored in the successes of learners. According to Ayeni (2011), teaching is a process that involves inducing desired changes in learners in order to achieve specific results. According to Adunola (2011), in order for a teaching approach to be effective, teachers must be familiar with a variety of teaching tactics that take into account the level of complexity of the subjects to be addressed. The relationship between teaching techniques and student academic performance has always piqued the researcher’s interest as an educator, particularly when it comes to applications in the context of twenty-first-century education. There appears to be one. Something about teaching facilitates learning. While it is true that effective learning is dependent on a variety of factors that are not all related to the instructor, a teacher’s methods continue to have a significant impact on student learning and academic progress. Because the issues confronting educators in the twenty-first century are so diverse, effective teaching methods are more important than ever. Gibbs and Jenkins (1992) argue that, while the context of class and society has changed, teaching techniques have not. According to Svinicki (2000), there has been so much research on teaching techniques over the years that it would be difficult to go over them all in detail. The For many decades, the goal of education has been to find better teaching techniques in order to provide the best learning possible. There is, however, no such thing as a one-size-fits-all teaching method. Flexibility is essential when it comes to changing teaching methods in the classroom. Because every instructor is unique, the tactics they use and how they use them will be influenced by the setting and scenario of their class, as well as their own personality and prejudices (McCornac & Phan Thuy, 2005). Every teacher and student should be concerned about how instructional methods affect student learning. Several studies on education have been conducted in order to evaluate teaching methods. Robinson and colleagues (1990) conducted a case study on various teaching methods in schools. to learn more about why they are used and how effective they are. Their findings revealed that different teaching styles had an effect on instructional efficacy. According to Keene, each student learns best when tactics and objectives are tailored to his or her experiences, talents, aptitudes, and interests (2008). Similarly, no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching exists. Although academics frequently identify numerous teaching techniques, the definition and implementation of the various teaching approaches overlap; none are mutually incompatible. The demonstration approach is one of several instructional learning styles classified as investigative or activity-based. It is a method that can improve learning due to its diversity effect action. It possesses the necessary characteristics for personalized training and thus has a high potential for challenge. as well as rewarding the teaching-learning process. The traditional direct teaching style, in which the teacher actively involves students in the learning process, has undergone a significant shift. Students are encouraged to raise their hands to ask questions. In summary, the student is viewed as a questioner, seeker of knowledge, and problem solver. These characteristics are critical for problem solving and are central to the demonstrative teaching method. As a result, there is growing concern about the use of demonstrative techniques while teaching government in Nigerian secondary schools. Much research has recently focused on government education in Nigerian secondary schools, with the goal of determining the quality and suitability of the instructors’ teaching methods, as well as the efficacy of instruction. Investigation into the use of demonstration instructional technique in government teaching in Nigerian secondary schools appears to have focused primarily on teachers’ frequency of use, with little attention paid to the application of important variables influencing its effectiveness. In some ways, no research has been conducted on the effectiveness of using demonstrative techniques to teach government. The demonstration instructional approach, as an innovative instructional practice, can only be used effectively in the classroom if instructors have the necessary knowledge, skills, and capacities. Competence is defined as the ability to use cognitive, social, and scientific abilities to regulate, actively struggle with, and master life challenges. The quantity of it that individuals possess as a learned feature Participation in activities that is appropriate and consistent can be assessed and developed. Teachers’ understanding and knowledge of the difficulties associated with demonstration teaching are required skills for the government demonstration approach. These abilities include questioning abilities and the recognition of events that lend themselves to the demonstration. Others include ways to foster students’ curiosity and independent reasoning (Brown, 1999). They also have the ability to elicit questions from students (Kona, 2000). Several educators have endorsed and recommended the discussion technique as an effective teaching method in secondary schools (Phipps & Osborne, 1988). The discussion method is a teaching strategy in which interaction is the primary focus (Binkley and Tulloch, 1981). During discussion sessions, students participate in the learning process by submitting issues and understanding the elements involved with the problems, generating possible solutions to the problems, putting the solution(s) into action, and assessing the solution’s results. This viewpoint was expressed by Nowak, Watt, and Walther (2004), who provided evidence that the demonstrative technique is typically successful in teaching sciences, mathematics, mechanics, and other vocational and technical education subjects. According to Gokhale (1996), a technologist’s professional performance is strongly related to his or her ability to apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations. Students learn a great deal by observing others. Through a demonstration, the relationship between “knowing about” and “being able to do” is established. When demonstrations are accurate, learners can see and understand what is going on, and brief explanations occur, demonstrations are most effective. According to research, throughout the presentation (Saskatchewan, 1988). Because effective teaching has a significant impact on student achievement, among other variables, this study sought to determine which technique of instruction best facilitates learning in secondary schools by shedding light on the many teaching methods used in secondary schools. 1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT The poor academic performance of the majority of students in various subject areas is primarily due to teachers’ use of ineffective teaching methods to impart knowledge to students, and thus teachers must be familiar with a variety of teaching strategies (Adunola, 2011). Transferring knowledge necessitates teachers employing the most appropriate method and pedagogy for the learner as well as the objectives and desired outcomes. The majority of traditional methods were teacher-led.

The approach is least practical, more theoretical, and memorizing, with no activity for the learners, making them passive and thus obtaining knowledge from the teacher without building their engagement level with the subject matter (Tebabal & Kahssay ,2011). More effective student-centered approaches are encouraged because they embrace the concept of discovery learning (Brindley, 2015). Most teachers today use a student-centered approach to encourage students’ interest, analytical research, critical thinking, and enjoyment (Hesson & Shad, 2007). As a result, the teacher must not only teach the most relevant, meaningful, and useful materials for specific students, but he must also recognize and adopt a good and well-researched method of teaching that ensures better understanding while also stimulating and motivating the students. 1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES

i. To

Determine the type of teaching method required to improve students’ academic performance.

ii. To investigate the relationship between the use of the demonstration method and student academic performance.

iii. Determine the relationship between the use of the lecture method and student academic performance.

iv. To ascertain the relationship between the use of the discussion method and student academic performance.

1.4 STUDY HYPOTHESIS
The following null hypotheses are proposed for testing at the 0.05 level of significance:

HO1: There is no statistically significant relationship between the method of demonstration and student academic performance.

HO2: There is no link between lecture method and student academic performance.

HO3: There is no significant relationship between the method of discussion and student academic performance.

1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE
The

The study is significant in a number of ways: it will help to raise teachers’ awareness and understanding of the use of most instructional techniques. The findings may also provide teachers with feedback on their teaching competences in the most commonly used teaching methods as a foundation for improving their instructional practice and thus improving performance. To facilitate proper curricular policies and programs for effective teaching and learning, curriculum planners and educators, as well as government and educational administrators, require empirical data on the overall teaching method and activity teaching competence of government teachers in Senior Secondary Schools.

1.6 APPLICATION AND LIMITATIONS
This study focuses on the impact of teaching techniques (activities).

on Senior High School Students’ participation in government. Students in SS 1 are the primary target audience. These student groups are thought to have been exposed to the subject’s knowledge, attitude, and skills. The work covers performance using all of the commonly used teaching methods. The study, however, is limited to senior secondary schools in Imo State’s Ngor Okpala Local Government Area.

1.7 THE STUDY’S LIMITATIONS

The researchers encountered minor constraints while conducting the study, as with any human endeavor. The significant constraint was the scarcity of literature on the subject due to the fact that it is a new discourse, so the researcher incurred more financial expenses and spent more time searching for relevant materials, literature, or information.

and during the data collection process, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited sample size covering only selected secondary schools in Enugu State’s Nsukka Local Government Area. As a result, the findings of this study cannot be generalized to other ministries in other Nigerian states. Furthermore, the researcher’s involvement in this study while also working on other academic projects will impede maximum dedication to the research. Nonetheless, despite the constraints encountered during the research, all factors were minimized in order to provide the best results and make the research a success.

1.8 OPERATIONAL TERM DEFINITION
It is critical in this study to define the terms that will appear throughout the work as they are used within the

For clarification purposes, consider the study’s context.

Activity: This is a student-centered teaching-learning approach in which the student has some control over the process and directs most of the instructional activities with adequate guidance from the teacher.

A teaching method is a teaching device or strategy used by a teacher to teach a lesson, which includes the use of games, text books, and other learning stimuli.

Academic performance: The learning outcome or output in students taught government that results from the teacher’s teaching techniques/methods.

The outcome of using an appropriate teaching method on students as measured by a government performance test is referred to as the effect.