ABSTRACT
This study sought to investigate the effect of drama method of
instruction on the interest and achievement of junior secondary school 2
students in Social Studies in Bomadi Education Zone of Delta State. The
study employed a quasi-experimental design. Specifically, pretest, post-test,
non-equivalent control group design was used. The population of the study was
2618 junior secondary school two (JSS 2) students in the 35 public
co-educational schools in Bomadi Education Zone in the 2013/2014 academic
session. Simple random sampling technique was used to draw four schools out of
these schools. The schools were randomly assigned to experimental and control
groups. Intact classes of each school were drawn for the study giving a total
of four intact classes. Students in the intact classes constituted the sample
of 172 used for the study. Data were collected using a 25-item Drama Method of
Achievement Test (DMAT) and a 20-item Social Studies Interest Inventory (SSII).
The instruments were validated by experts from both Social Studies and
Measurement and Evaluation Departments. The reliability index of 0.74 determined
through Kuder-Richardson 20 formular was obtained for the DMAT while an
internal consistency index of 0.91 was obtained for the SSII using Cronbach
Alpha method. Mean and Standard deviation were used to answer the research
questions while analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses
formulated at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the discussion of the
findings of the study, the researcher recommended among others that emphasis
should be made on the use of drama method by the teachers to enhance students’
interest and achievement in Social Studies; equal learning opportunities should
be provided to learners in both urban and rural areas and that teachers should
acquaint themselves with the skills and principles of this method and use them
to enhance effective teaching and learning process. This could be achieved
through attending seminars, workshops, conferences and other in-service
training programmes organized by the Federal and State Ministries of Education
and other professional bodies.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Social Studies is the study
of man and his environment. It is an integrated subject that deals with man’s
activities, his relationships and interactions with one another in his
environment, and his knowledge of science and technology to solve the problems
in his environment. Such social sciences as Economics, Political Science,
History, Geography, Psychology, Anthropology and Ethics are all under Social
Studies (Odedele & Egotanwa, 2010). Social Studies therefore covers a wide
range of disciplines and issues which have to do with humanity as a whole.
Dania and Enakhire (2012) posit that the discipline Social Studies centres on
systematic study of the principles and skills pertinent to all aspects of
operations, resources and administration. Osakwe (2009) noted that social
studies is a contemporary and environmentally focused field of study and
therefore provides the learner with requisite knowledge, skills, values,
attitudes and competencies to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s national
development.
Apart from the above-mentioned benefits of Social Studies,
another important role it plays in national development is in the area of
security. Okiro (2008) and Etim (2009) have observed the unpalatable state of
security in Nigeria which is highly lamentable. Social Studies education can
make immense contributions towards achieving national security in Nigeria
through its teaching (Dania & Eboh, 2013). This can be achieved through the
teaching of such important values as honesty, integrity, hard-work, fairness,
justice and togetherness which are necessary for national cohesion and
development.
Social
Studies was first used in 1958 by educators of the Ohio University project
which sought to introduce its teaching into Teachers’ Training Colleges in the
former Western Region of Nigeria (Adewuya, 2002). However, social studies had a
shaky start in the 1960s but was eventually adopted for all primary as well as
junior and senior secondary schools under the National Policy on Education by
the 1990s but later restricted to the junior secondary in 2004 (Ogunyemi,
2010). Social Studies as a subject is important because it instills in students
the knowledge, skills, attitudes and actions that are considered vital in the
relationship and interaction of man and those around him and the entire
environment (Ogunbameru, 2006). The main objectives of Social Studies as stated
in the National Policy on Education (2010:2) are as follows:
·
the inculcation of national consciousness and national unity;
·
the inculcation of the right type of values and attitudes for
the survival of the individual and the Nigerian society;
·
the training of the mind in the understanding of the world
around; and
·
the acquisition of appropriate skills and the development of
mental, physical and social abilities and competencies as equipment for the
individual to live in and contribute to the development of the society.
The above mentioned national objectives are to build the
citizens to become useful to themselves and the society and these can only be
achieved if education is used as a tool. Abubakar (2013:49) observes that
“Social Studies education as an area of study has a lot of contributions
towards the attainment of national objectives”. The above observation of
Abubakar is in line with the views of Onuoha (2009) who stated that Social
Studies aims at producing students who are creative, patriotic, responsible and
useful members of the society. This implies that Social Studies brings about
national development by first of all transforming the citizens and making them
nation builders. Social Studies can therefore be defined as an area of study
which is aimed at producing patriotic and responsible citizens for the development
of the society.
In spite
of the fact that National Policy on Education accepted Social Studies education
as a curriculum designed for inculcating norms and values of active citizenship
among young learners in Nigerian schools, most of the studies carried out by
different scholars (Akims, 2003; Shingumi, 2002 and Kazi, 2004) reveal that
some Social Studies teachers lack the necessary skills to teach the subject
effectively. In addition, Funtua (1980) criticized and frowned at the present
practice of assigning the teaching of Social Studies in our schools and
colleges to History, Economics and geography teachers. Funtua maintained that
it creates the erroneous impression that these teachers are necessarily
effective teachers of Social Studies. The author lamented that these
unqualified teachers usually used a single subject approach in teaching the
content areas of Social Studies.
Besides, it has been observed that there is a sharp fall
in interest and performance of students and pupils in Social Studies owing to
an unbridled use of conventional lecture and storytelling method in teaching
Social Studies (Arinze,Okonkwo&Iwunor,2006). In other words, Social Studies
teachers use only the traditional method to teach the children. This is worrisome
because it is a method that is characterized by teacher-centredness. NTI (2012)
presents the major difference between the traditional teacher-centred method
and the learner-centred method as follows:
Traditionally, teacher-centred methods emphasize the importance
of transferring knowledge, information and skills from the teacher to the
learner. Emphasis is on the mastery of the subject and authority. The teacher
is positioned in front of the class, using the blackboard, while learners sit
in row facing the teacher. On the other hand, learner-centred philosophies are
less authoritarian and more focused on the individual learner’s needs. They
place the learner at the centre of the educational process (P.2).
The above differences between the traditional, teacher-centred
method and the learner-centred method expose the weakness of the former which
may be the cause of the students’ poor performance and lack of interest in
Social Studies. Data collected from Ministry of Education, Delta State attest
to the poor performance of junior secondary school III (JSS III) students
in Social Studies in the Basic Education Examination in Bomadi Education Zone
between 2011 and 2013 (See appendix III). The data are summarized below.
In
Esanebe College, Bomadi between 2011and 2013,out of 378 students that sat for
the examination, only 98 candidates passed Social Studies, the rest failed the
subject. In Kpakiama Grammar School, between 2011 and 2013, out of 271
candidates that sat for the exam, only 65 passed Social Studies, the rest
failed the subject. In Tuomo Grammar School, out of 347 candidates that sat for
the exam, only 72 candidates passed Social Studies,the rest failed the
subject.In Oproza Grammar School,out of 410 candidates, only 150 candidates
passed Social Studies,the rest failed the subject.
The data presented above indicate that the performance of
students in Social Studies has not been encouraging in the recent past. This is
in line with the observation of Adesina (2003) that students have been found to
perform poorly in Social Studies over the years. Adesina goes further to
explain that from personal interaction with many students, it is the general
feeling that most students feel inadequate in this subject area and often
complain that it is complex and difficult to understand. This situation calls
for concern because the implication is that, as the students develop apathy or
lack of interest in Social Studies, they cannot retain relevant knowledge in
the subject area necessary for successful academic performance and
participation as members of the society. This will be detrimental to both the
student and the society because Social Studies is a subject that is expected to
provide the learner with requisite knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and
competencies to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s national development
(Osakwe, 2009).This problem is made worse by lack of well trained teachers in
the area of Social Studies.
It has also been observed that instructions in the Social
Studies in schools and colleges have suffered because of general unsatisfactory
training of teachers as demanded in the epistemology and ontology of the
curriculum package intrinsic in the subject
(Mezieobi,1999;Mkpa,1993;Popoola,2000&Whyte,2001). This unsatisfactory
training of teachers has not only resulted in the production of low quality
teachers but has also made the use of poor teaching method possible (National
Teachers Institute, NTI, 2006.) NTI further highlighted this problem in
relation to the teaching and learning of Social Studies as follows:
The teacher has been blamed for this seemingly poor outing of
Social Studies as a school subject. The teacher is accused of using
inappropriate pedagogical approaches like lecturing, dictation and note copying
for a programme that requires interactive techniques in a conducive social
environment for the development and sustenance of desirable social skills,
attitudes and values (NTI, 2006: p. iii).
The above observations by different scholars go to show the
ineffectiveness of the lecture method.
In the
conventional lecture method of teaching, the Social Studies teacher usually
enters the class stands authoritatively in front of the students, introduces
the topic, tells the students what the topic is all about, asks them questions
if he/she wishes, then gives them notes to copy. In this method of teaching,
the teacher dominates classroom activities while the students listen passively
and copy the notes given to them without making any input. This is antithetical
to what obtains in the drama method. Though the lecture method has a lot of
weaknesses, it also has some advantages. These advantages include: It allows
for adequate coverage of the course content in a short time; there is economy
of time and materials; it is easy to prepare and finally, students can collect
valid notes from the teacher (Igbokwe, 2007). However, despite all these
advantages of the lecture method, the performance of students in Social Studies
has not been encouraging over the years.
The lecture method is teacher-centred and leaves the students in
the passive position in the classroom. This kind of method may not yield much
positive result as students are usually passive during teaching and learning.
Richards (2001) observes that if teaching is successfully carried out, learning
will occur and that successful teaching axiomatically implies good teaching
application. There is therefore urgent need to use methods that are interactive
and capable of arousing the interest of students in the Social Studies classroom.
One of such methods which has been tried in subject areas that include
Christian Religious Knowledge, English Language, Mathematics and Igbo Language
and found to be very effective in enhancing students’ performance is the drama
method of instruction (Onder,2004& Onwuazor, 2006).
The word
drama is taken from the Greek word ‘dran’ which means do or act. Drama in real
life involves action, which is one of the most important methods of seeing life
(Ibitola, 2009). According to Durusel (2007) in Duban and Duzgun(2013) ,drama
provides a presentation and interpretation of a physical or mental activity and
is a way to transform students’ mental and physical potentials into creative
acts. According to Littledyke (2001), drama as an educational method allows
students to reflect, discuss, make connections with real life, and look at the
events from different angles. In his own view, Iwuala (2012) asserts that
topics in all subject areas can be recognized and dramatized by the students in
order to make them clear and easier to understand and make learning a
pleasurable venture. In other words, the use of drama method of instruction in
the teaching and learning of Social Studies will help in making the students
develop interest in the subject. This will be very rewarding because it is only
when students develop interest in a subject that they will be able to record
positive achievement in that subject. The use of drama method of instruction in
teaching has a lot of advantages. Some of these advantages according to Basom
(2001) include: Self-confidence: when students take risks in class and in
performances, they learn to trust their ideas and abilities as individuals;
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Students working through this process
learn how to communicate their thoughts and look at things from a different
perspective and formulate their decisions; Imagination and Creative Thinking:
Through decision making and creative exploration, students are given the chance
to play with imaginative ideas; Cooperation and Collaboration: Working in
groups with other peers allows students to collaboratively discuss, rehearse
and combine creative ideas with peers at various levels and most importantly,
drama is fun and makes learning active and hands on. Social Studies has to do
with behaviour transformation.
Similarly drama changes people’s perspectives about life.
According to Basom (2005), Drama holds up a mirror for us to examine ourselves,
deepening our understanding of human motivation and behaviour. In using the
drama method in classroom teaching, some stages are involved which the teacher
has to follow. These stages or steps as identified by Ahove (2001) include:
Identify the problem to be dramatized; Prepare the script and identify the
inherent values portrayed; Allow students to select their role/character;
Discuss with each actor/actress on his/her role; Set the stage for the drama
and give enough time; Use guide questions for follow up discussions and
Evaluate the actors’ performance and the general proceedings for future
improvement. With these stages, students are actively involved in the teaching
and learning process unlike what obtains in the conventional lecture method.
Apart from poor teaching method, another factor that can affect
students’ academic achievement is location. As reported by some studies, like
Coleman (2000), Okebukola (1990) among others, school location has an influence
on teaching of school subjects at secondary school level. Location has to do
with a particular area a school is situated. According to Igbokwe, (2009:20)
“where a school is locate d and the socio-economic environment of the school
determines how well both the teachers and learners realize their goals of
education.” Igbokwe goes further to state that “schools in urban areas usually
have better teachers and adequate instructional materials.” There is no doubt
that location of a school can influence students’ achievement positively or
negatively. Schools in the urban areas usually have access to modern facilities
like potable water, electricity, Information Communication Technology (ICT)
facilities, among others. All these facilities help to make life easier for
students and expose them to current events that are happening in the world
around them. It even makes them ward off inferiority complex unlike their
counterparts in the rural areas who do not have access to the facilities. Many
studies have been carried out to investigate the effect of location on
achievement and interest of learners (Eneh, 2002). While some say that there is
no basis for location differences, others agree that rural and urban learners
achieve differently. Based on this assumption, there is need for further
studies on the issue of influence of school location on the achievement and
interest of students in Social Studies.
Furthermore, academic achievement may also differ according to
gender. Gender is a socio-culturally ascribed attribute which differentiates
feminine from masculine (Imoko, 2004). Danmole and Adeoye (2004) found no
significant difference in the achievement of students due to gender. Instead
they opined that achievement of both males and females can be affected by
teaching and learning styles. Similarly, Musibau and Adigun (2010) did not find
any significant difference in students’ academic achievement due to gender. On
the other hand, a study carried out by (Umo, 2001) showed that female students
achieved higher than their male counterparts in Igbo grammar. There has not
been any conclusive evidence as regards whether males perform better than
females or vice versa in academic endeavour in Social Studies. This study seeks
to find out whether the use of drama method will have any significant
difference in the achievement and interest of male and female students in
Social Studies.
Apart from the above mentioned variables, another important
variable which may influence learners in the school system is interest. Lai
(2010) defined interest in learning as personal preferences with regard to
learning, which sometimes means that an individual chooses one thing rather
than other things and sometimes a positive psychological state occurs during
his/her interaction with the circumstances that engender further learning
motives. The above definition is in line with the earlier position of Chang
(2006) who from the psychological perspective said the term interest has a
two-meaning that involves, first, an individual’s internal orientation when he
or she expresses the choice of someone or something and second, the small
difference between interest and motive as both of them are the internal causes
of an individual’s behaviour.
The term interest in learning according to Cheng (2008), is
considered under three categories:
Individual interest, which is a personal quality that is quite
stable and fluctuates little; situational interest, which is an emotional state
elicited by amusing mathematics-related activities or the content of teaching
materials; and interest-induced psychological state that occurs when an
individual is showing intense interest in something and he or she focuses all
attention on what sparks that interest, while ignoring anything else in the
surroundings (P.141).
From the foregoing, it can be deduced that interest is a very
significant concept that can influence one depending on the situation one finds
oneself. According to Li (2009:8), “In a classroom setting, interest is
required to meet students’ intellectual as well as emotional needs; interest
can never be imposed on an individual by external forces, but a teacher can
help increase the learners’ interest”. Interest in learning can therefore be
defined as a learner’s positive feelings or leanings towards a particular
aspect of learning. Interest in learning can motivate a learner to learn a
particular subject or even a particular topic in a subject. This may affect the
learner’s academic achievement in that particular subject or topic.
It is
important to note that students’ interest can be induced or increased by the
teacher (Li, 2009). This may be done through the use of teaching methods that
are learner-centred. In other words, a method of teaching that allows students’
active participation may arouse their interest in learning. This study
therefore, seeks to identify the effects of drama method and lecture method on
the students’ interest in Social Studies.
Statement of the Problem
Social studies is a subject taught in all the junior secondary
schools in Nigeria. The sole purpose of Social Studies is to inculcate norms
and moral values into the young citizens of Nigeria and expose them to the
happenings in the world around them. Unfortunately,it has been observed that
some Social Studies teachers lack the necessary skills to teach the subject
effectively. This is evident in the high rate of students’ poor performance in
Social Studies in the recent past coupled with the level of moral decadence in
our schools and society today. It has also been observed that most of the
teachers who teach Social Studies are not adequately trained to teach the
subject as they are usually graduates of other subjects like History and
Geography. This ugly situation, no doubt, adversely affects the teaching and
learning of the subject. More worrisome is the fact that most of these teachers
teach Social Studies using the lecture method which is teacher-centred and
makes learning stale and uninteresting. There is therefore the urgent need to
devise a better and more productive method of teaching Social Studies to make
it interesting and rewarding to the learners. One method that may be useful in
this regard is the drama method of instruction. This is because it involves
active participation of the learner in the teaching and learning process. This
method may also arouse the interest of learners. Although the use of
drama has been tried in the teaching of Christian Religious Studies, English
Language, Igbo Language and Mathematics, and found to be effective, its
effectiveness, to the best of the researcher’s knowledge, is yet to be
determined in the teaching of Social Studies in Bomadi Education Zone of Delta
State. Based on the foregoing, therefore, the problem of this study is to find
out the effect of drama method of instruction on JSS II students’
interest and achievement in Social Studies in Bomadi Education Zone of Delta
State.
Purpose of the Study
The main
purpose of this study is to determine the effect of drama method of instruction
on JSS II students’ achievement and interest in Social Studies. Specifically,
the study sought to:
1. identify the effects of drama method and lecture method on
students’ achievement in Social Studies
2 .identify the effects of drama method and lecture method on
the students’ interest in Social Studies.
3. determine the effect of drama method of instruction on the
achievement mean scores of rural and urban students taught Social Studies.
4. determine the effect of drama method of instruction on
interest mean scores of rural and urban students taught Social Studies.
5. determine the effect of drama method of instruction on the
achievement mean scores of male and female students taught Social Studies
6. determine the effect of drama method of instruction on
the interest mean scores of male and female students taught Social Studies.
Significance of the Study
The study will be significant in many ways. Theoretically, the
findings of this study will help to explain the effectiveness of the ideas put
forward by constructivist theorists like Piaget and Vygotsky. Proponents of
this theory believe in students’ active participation in classroom activities
instead of passive receivers of knowledge. In other words, the learner is the
person who creates new understanding for himself while the teacher coaches,
moderates, suggests but allows the students room to ask questions and try
things that seem not to work. This is in line with the use of drama which
involves students’ active participation while the teacher acts as a
moderator, coach or supervisor. The understanding of this theory especially as
it relates to students and teachers would be of great significance to
researchers in the field of education who research on different teaching
methodologies.
Practically, the findings of this study will be beneficial to students,
teachers, educational administrators, curriculum planners, textbook writers,
the Nigerian society and future researchers. The students will be exposed to a
different teaching method which is exciting, learner-centred and rewarding.
This will not only arouse their interest but also enhance their academic
achievement because students usually achieve better in any learning experience
they have interest in.
The study
will be of great relevance to Social Studies teachers as they will adopt a
better teaching approach that will help them achieve their set objectives with
less stress and less emphasis on the monotonous, teacher-centred method.
Furthermore,
it is hoped that the curriculum planners will find this study as an aid in the
planning of the curriculum so as to emphasize the use of the method of
instruction by teachers to achieve maximum result from the students.
Textbook writers will also benefit from this study because it
will expose them to produce good and comprehensive textbooks on Social Studies
that will cover drama method of instruction.
Besides, the Nigerian society will benefit from this study. This
is because Nigerian society has a lot of societal problems. It is expected that
this study will be of great help in solving the societal problems by exposing
the students to the right type of values that are needed to foster the progress
of the country.
Finally,
it is expected that this study will also serve as available data for future
researchers on their search for better techniques in the teaching and learning
process.
Scope of the Study
This study was carried out in junior secondary schools in
Bomadi Education Zone of Delta State. Bomadi Education zone comprises three
Local Government Areas. They are Bomadi, Burutu, and Patani. Bomadi has eight
(8) public secondary schools, Burutu has eighteen (18) public secondary schools
and Patani has nine (9) public secondary schools. The JSS 2 students in the
above named education zone were used for the study.
In terms
of content coverage, the following topics selected from the Social Studies
curriculum of the Federal Ministry of Education were used for the study. They
are: corruption, drug abuse, accidents in the school and poverty.
Research Questions
The study
was guided by the following research questions.
1. What
are the mean achievement scores of students taught Social Studies using drama
and those taught using conventional (lecture) method?
2. What
are the mean interest scores of students taught Social Studies using drama
method and those taught using conventional method?
3. What
are the mean achievement scores of rural and urban students taught Social
Studies using drama method?
4. What
are the mean interest scores of rural and urban students taught social studies
using drama method?
5. What
are the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught Social
Studies using drama method?
6. What
are the mean interest scores of male and female students taught social studies
using drama method?
Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated by the researcher
to guide the study.
The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance.
HO1: There is no significant difference in the mean
achievement scores of students taught Social Studies using drama and those
taught using conventional (lecture) method.
HO2: There is no significant difference in the
mean interest scores of students taught Social Studies using drama and those
taught using conventional (lecture) method.
HO3: There is no significant difference in the
mean achievement scores of rural and urban students taught Social Studies using
drama method.
HO4: There is no significant difference
in the mean interest scores of rural and urban students taught Social Studies
using drama method.
HO5: There is no significant
difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students taught
Social Studies using drama method.
HO6: There is no significant difference in the mean
interest scores of male and female students taught social studies using drama
method.