The Effect Of Teaching Methods On Student’s Academic Performance In The University Of Buea
Abstract
Teaching
methods are standard procedure of presenting subject matter and organizing
teacher-student interaction during a lesson. Each teaching strategy is
associated with a method. Teaching methods can be general and specific.
The
purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of teaching methods on
student’s academic performance in the University of Buea. Specifically, the
research sought to examine how lecture illustration method of teaching
influence the academic performance of students, how lecture demonstration
method of teaching influence student’s academic performance and how the
interactive method of teaching influence student’s academic performance in the
university of Buea. Data was collected purposively, with the use of a
questionnaire, from a sample population of 70 students.
The
study employed a descriptive study design. Data was descriptively analysed from
the questionnaire by calculating frequencies and percentages. Findings revealed
that lecture illustration, lecture demonstration and interactive teaching
methods have great influence on the academic performance of students.
It
was recommended that teachers should do everything possible to use the various
teaching methods. This is because learners have different ways of learning and
comprehending the subject matter taught.
A
method might work for one and not the other. So, it advisable to use different
teaching methods so as to favour the three types of learners found in the
learning arena that is; auditory, visual and kinesthetic learners. It was
further recommended that teachers should also make use of film slides in class.
Film
slides help learners to retain concepts fast especially for visual learners.
The involvement of film slides when making use of lecture illustration method
of teaching will help boost students understanding of simple and complex
concept thus increasing their academic performance.
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Introduction
Teaching
methods are standard procedure of presenting subject matter and organizing
teacher-student interaction during a lesson. Each teaching strategy is
associated with a method. Teaching methods can be general and specific. General
teaching methods are the procedure that is common in the teaching of different
subject.
On
the other hand, specific teaching method may be applicable mainly to specific
teaching subjects, thus this research is aimed at determining the teaching
methods and the effect on students’ academic performance like lecture
illustration, lecture demonstration, and the interactive (cooperative method),
on students in the university of Buea.
This
chapter focuses on the background study, statement of the problem, objectives
of the study, research questions, justification of the study, significance of
the study, scope of the study and operational definition of terms.
Background of the study
The
background of this study shall be in two parts namely, historical and
contextual.
Historically, Educators have noted the benefits of teaching methods since classical times. In central Europe, the seventeenth century scientist and educator John Amos Comenius promulgated a reformed system of universal education that was widely used in Europe.
Its growth resulted in increased government interest in
education. In the 1760s, for instance Ivan Betskoy was appointed by the Russian
Tsarina, Catherine II, as educational advisor.
He proposed to educate young Russians of both sexes in state boarding schools. By the eighteenth century, universities published academic journals.
The German
and French 78 university models were established. Increasing academic interest
in education led to analysis of teaching methods and in the 1770s the
establishment of the first chair of pedagogy at the University of Halle in
Germany.
According
to Hunter (1984) and Reinhartz (1980), teaching is a constant stream of
professional decisions that affects the probability of learning decisions that
are made and implemented before, during and after interactions with the
students explaining, defining, giving examples, stressing critical attributes
and demonstrations.
A
teacher has to set a test to find out if students have learned well and the
students should show whether they have understood the lesson by their academic
achievement. According to Tambo (2003), teaching methods are important
components for the curriculum for they determine how effective the objectives
would be attained. The teaching methods are chosen based on the objectives to
be attained.
Learning
outcomes according to Tambo (2003) are of many types. There are many higher
order learning outcomes and lower order learning outcomes. While lower learning
outcomes only helps an individual to remember information higher order leaning
outcomes helps an individual to solve problems which is the goal of education.
Conceptually,
education is important in Cameroon and in every country for it contributes to
the political, social, and economic development of every community. More so,
education is a basic human right and it is a basic instruction for achieving
the goal of national unity, political stability, equality and mobilizing all
the potentials of a nation.
In
addition, education is the process of facilitating learning, knowledge, skills,
values, beliefs and habits assumed to a group of people which are transfer to
other people through storytelling, discussion, teaching and training or through
research. Successful teaching and learning emanates to a large extent from
careful planning, preparation and the methods used in giving out the materials.
Before this can be done the teacher must be fully aware of the subject matter
and various teaching methods of teaching (Okpala, 1980).
Education today is geared towards student-centeredness which means that the teacher must be trained in order for them to use the appropriate teaching methods well; this is because they need to direct the students on how these methods are used for the students to perform well and also become active in the teaching and learning process.
Thus, a well-trained teacher will be able to teach well and
create love for the subject into the minds of the students but a teacher who is
not trained will rather create discouragement and hate rate of the subject in
the minds of the students
Statement of the problem
Despite
the teaching methods in some schools, teachers still find it challenging to
match each learning resources to a specific teaching method for example, the
teaching method used by a teacher in the University of Douala will be different
from a teacher in the University of Buea to facilitate his or her teaching.
Newly
employed teachers face the difficulties in using good teaching techniques in
the classroom. A prepared lesson might
not be well assimilated due to lack of or misappropriate of teaching methods.
This approach abounds on teacher-student ratio, but lacks a consensual
explanation of how teacher-student ratio as one aspect of the effect of
teachers teaching method on students’ academic performance.
The
existing research on teacher-student ratio as one of the effect of teaching
method on students’ academic performance does not take into account this aspect
of the analysis. It is against this backdrop that: the researcher will be going
out to investigate teacher-student ratio as one of the aspect of the effect of
teaching methods on students’ academic performance in the University of Buea.
Research Objective
The
study was guided by the following research objectives.
General Objectives
To
investigate the effects of teaching methods on students’ academic performance
in the University of Buea
Specific research objectives
- To find out the influence of lecture illustration methods on students’ academic performance in the university of Buea
- To investigate the use of lecture demonstration method on students’ academic performance in the university of Buea.
- To find out the influence of the interactive method on students’ academic performance in the university of Buea.
