EFFECTS OF IMPROVISED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF SOCIAL STUDIES STUDENTS IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS, KANO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of improvised instructional materials on the performance of social
studies students in junior secondary schools in Kano State, Nigeria. The study was carried out with three
objectives, which are to: determine the performance of student-taught social studies using improvised
instructional materials and those taught without improvised instructional material (in junior secondary
schools in Kano State); ascertain the effect of improvised instructional materials on the pre-test and
post-test performance scores of social studies in the experimental group (in junior secondary schools in
Kano State); and compare the effect of improvised instructional materials on the performance of male
and female social studies( in junior secondary schools in Kano State). Also, three (3) corresponding
research questions and three (3) null hypotheses were formulated for the study. The study adopted a
quasi-experimental research design where pre- and post-tests were used and intact classes were
involved. The population of the study comprised all 5439 JS II students offering social studies in
Nassarawa Educational Zone, Kano State, where the male population was made up of 2855 and 2584
female students. A sample size of 200 JSII students was drawn using the purposive sampling technique,
consisting of 120 males and 80 females. A structured social studies test with questions approved for
junior secondary schools by NECO was used for data collection. The instrument consisted of 25
objective test items with three options. The demographic information of the respondents was analyzed
using frequency and percentage, while the research questions were answered using mean, standard
deviation, and standard error mean. Hypothesis 1 and 3 were analyzed using an independent sample t-
test, while hypothesis 2 was analyzed using a paired sample t-test at a 0.05 alpha level of significance.
Findings drawn from the study revealed that the performance of students taught with improvised
instructional materials was significantly higher than that of those taught without improvised
instructional materials. It can be concluded that the use of improvised instructional materials is a
strategy for enhancing the performance of students in social studies. Thus, teachers of social studies can
adopt this strategy to ensure they work towards improving performance in social studies.
Recommendations were made, among others, that the Kano state government should encourage
teachers’ improvisation and usage of instructional materials in schools; Schools should be equipped to
produce improvised instructional materials so that teachers may use them for effective instruction in
junior secondary schools.