This article is extracted from literature review. Kindly order for full project materials.
CHAPTER TWO
LTERATURE REVIEW
This section reviews the works of authors in the area of
availability of instructional materials; the section shall be treated
under the following sub headings:
- Concept of learning among secondary school students
- Factors that Affect Learning of Business Studies
- Overview of Learning Theories
- Relevance of Audio Visual Aids in teaching of Biasness Studies
- Instructional Aids and Teaching of Business Studies in secondary schools
- Summary of the Literature
2.1 Concept of Learning among Secondary School Students
Many psychologists have attempted to classify learning. This is
because it is generally believed that the type of learning expected
determines the method of teaching to adopt. The most popular
classification of the domains of learning is that given by Bloom and his
associates n 1956.They are the psychomotor domain which refers to
development of manipulative or motor skills which require efficient
co-ordination between our brains and muscles; the cognitive domain
which refers to intellectual skills and abilities. It is achieved by
mental processes such as reasoning remembering and recall; the
affective domain which refers to changes in interest, attitudes and
value which influence our personalities. In practice, there is to some
extent an overlapping from one domain to the other. All forms of
learning are in these three domains. It is your responsibility to
select appropriate techniques that would facilitate learning.
Students have many responsibilities with regard to their learning,
students who make the effort required to succeed n school and who
are able to apply themselves will soon discover that there is a direct
relationship between this effort and their achievement , and will
therefore be more motivated to work. There will be some students
however, who will find it more difficult to take responsibility for
their learning because of special challenges they face.
For these students, the attention, patience, and encouragement of
teachers can be extremely important factors for success. Taking
responsibility for their own progress and learning is an important part
of education for all students, regardless of their circumstances.
Mastery of all concepts and skills in business studies require a
sincere commitment to work, study and the development of appropriate
skills. Teachers are responsible for developing appropriate
instructional strategies to help students to achieve the curriculum
expectations, as well as appropriate methods for assessing and
evaluating student learning [Daniels 2008].
Teachers also support students in developing the reading, writing,
oral communicate and numeracy skills needed for success in their
courses. Teachers bring enthusiasm and various teaching and approaches
to the classroom, addressing different student needs and ensuring sound
learning opportunities for every student. Using a variety of
instructional, assessment and evaluation strategies teachers provide
numerous opportunities for students to develop skills of inquiry and
communication to acquire marketable business skills while learning
fundamentals concepts.
Business education curriculum planners in Nigeria except n junior
secondary school students who go through the three years junior
secondary school business studies programme to acquire ’‘practical
business and entrepreneurial skills and attitudes to prepare them for
self-employment’’[Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2008]. To equip learners
with these skills, they recommend hat teachers employ learner-centered
teaching methods such as project work, educational visits, and use of
business resource persons, business simulations, group discussions case
studies and school based mini enterprises run and operated by
students. The findings of this study suggest that teachers and
curriculum planners are not singing from the same hymn book, thus the
pedagogical practices of business studies teachers are at variance with
the expectations of the curriculum planners.
Teachers-centered pedagogy is the dominant of instruction while
entrepreneurial pedagogies are used sparingly. Teachers seem to be more
concerned with completing the business studies syllabus in time for
examinations at the expense of imparting business skills and literacy
through the use of constructivist pedagogies as prescribed in the
syllabus. The findings of this study suggest that the practices of
business studies teachers do not confirm to the expectations of
curriculum planners in that teacher-centered and not learner-centered
pedagogy appears to be the dominant mode of instruction in schools. If
business education curriculum planners want their prescriptions
translated successfully into practice, they must factor in support
structures to ensure that these prescriptions are fully adopted an
implemented. There is need for staff development to assist teachers with
he implementation of the business education curriculum [Kennedy&
Gibson, 2000].
The school inspectorate, the National Business Studies Panel and
School administrators should monitor and ensure that the delivery of
business education is done according to stipulated curriculum and set
standards as well as enforce the fulfillment of pedagogical practices
set in the syllabus. If teachers are deviating from prescribed teaching
methodologies, it is the responsibility of school administrators and
heads of business studies departments to ensure that the best standards
in he teaching and bearing of the subject are complied with.
Resourcing for the delivery of business education should include the
provision of computer laboratories.
In Nigeria, Information Communication Technology (ICT) is a major
focus of the country’s economic agenda and the Revised National Policy
on Education [2004] highlighted he need for all learners to be taught
computer skills at all levels of school. Nigeria has made a tremendous
effort to provide resources for its junior secondary schools and this
is evidenced by the fact that all junior senior secondary schools have
fully equipped computer laboratories [Isaac 2007]. Information
communication technology (ICT) has considerable potentials in the
business classroom [Barrington 2004] in that it can be used whilst
undertaking a variety of classroom activities such as research
assignments, key business applications like spreadsheets, data bases
and presentations, including the use of internet as a resource for
acquiring knowledge. The internet opens up vast knowledge sources, is
available around the clock and it optimally supports student- centered
teaching [Motschinig- Pitrik, 2001].
Future studies might do well to use multi-method research designs
to examine more fully the current availability of instructional
materials for business studies teachers including their weakness with a
view to proffering pedagogical models and approaches that would help o
maximize learner acquisition of business skills, literacy and
competencies. Such studies could also focus on identifying specific
intervention strategies that will assist teachers to employ recommended
pedagogical practices in business studies classrooms.
2.2 Factors that Affect Learning of Business Studies
An understanding of factors that affect learning will be
of great help to you as a teacher. According to Daugherty (2006),
differences in abilities, readiness, motivation and interest affect
learning. As a teacher, according to farrant (2006), you must know the
pre – requisite for efficient learning which are readiness, motivation
and involvement. Ideal learning conditions therefore include mental,
physical and social readiness of the learner, motivation and activities
according to MCNICOI (2003), students are likely to learn, when they
are willing, curious, inspired, have a goal to achieve, derive
satisfaction from learning, have capacity to learn, are actively
involved, have favourable social atmosphere and classroom conditions
are satisfactory.
Motivation: the degree of motivation or student has
for the learning task could affect his learning. The desire to learn is
inherent in all normal persons. You must motivates your students to
use their innate ability you should apply incentives and arouse their
increase for the purpose of causing them to perform in a desired way
remember your goal is to bring about a desire arrange in the behavior
of your students you must devise as many ways as you can to create
within each students, the desire to learn. This is basically what
teaching is
Interest: interest in a subject, does not guarantee
success in the subject, studies have however shown a very high degree
of correlation between interest in a subject and success in learning,
it is true that learning can take place without apparent interest. It
is also a known fact that interest in a subject makes the learning to
take place easier, faster and more lastingly.
Readiness: this refers to the physical, mental,
emotional or social maturation of the learner as well as foundation for
the building of new learning.
2.3 Overview of Learning Theories
An overview of learning theories and their implication to
teaching and learning. Learning theories are creative attempt to find
out how learning takes place in the learners and the means by which it
can be improved. According to Daugherty (2004), learning is a change
in an individual through some form of experience. It is a known fact
that learning takes place easier, faster and lastingly under some
conditions than others. Teaching methods are the strategies adopted and
used y teachers in transferring learning in a classroom teaching
learning process. Learning theories which have dominated educational
thinking today can be traced to four major schools: classical
behaviorists (the stimulus – responses bonds group), purposive
behaviorist, cognitive theories and gestalt theories be meaningful the
theories of learning propounded by psychologists such as Pavlov, thorn
dike, Tolman, Skinner, Dewey and Ausubel, and Gestalt theorists to
mention a few shall be mentioned here. However those of Thorndike and
Tolman shall be examined as well as their significance to business
education of which business studies is a part.
Teaching method according to Daugherty (2004), are the
broad pattern of thinking which a teacher follows to help his students
reach the goal set for the course in other words, they are the
strategies adopted and used by teacher in transferring learning in a
classroom teaching learning process. A good teaching method should not
aim at teaching too much or too little at any given lesson what you
have prepared should be adequate for the lessons period. What should
determine the content of a lesson include the age, interest, ability,
maturity of the learners as well as the nature of the subject matter to
be taught.