University of Nigeria Virtual Library

Serial No ISBN 978-2924-00-5

Author 1

NWOKE, Basil_Mary

Author 2

Author 3

Title The Influence of The Home on Children’s School Performance At All Levels

Keywords

Description The Influence of The Home on Children’s School Performance At All Levels

Category Social Sciences

Publisher Ife Centre for Psychological Studies

Publication Date 1997

Signature

J"' "' '"-- 1

. . i Secm5zry Schm!, Ch. E:+si Africa. Pope J o b

. -

Z '3r;c;a Cross River Sts . . r I t i fiLa3f178 Pacis G~Gs 3

! Nigeria ;

CHILDREN'S SCWBOL PERFORMANCE

AT ALL LEVELS

'63 ST. Mary Basil Chris Nwoke. 1997.

Typeset by : JJ PROFESSIONAI, RUSTNESS CENTRE

Cover Design By : ktke Nwachukwu

Printed By: Gr-afikes Xis. l', 0. Box 1926 Gan-ki - Abaja.

DEDICATION

T:, the Holy Family of Jesus. Mary and Joseph, Model of home and school.

To Daughters of Divine Love Congregation my Religinlss home.

To my parents. David and Helina Nwoke. through whose co-operation md influence I came into being and acquircd education.

Acknowledgements

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page 1

Foreword

Preface

Introduction:

Chapter 1;

Chapter 2:

CIzapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Ckapter 5:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 7:

C1;apter- 8:

Chapter 9:

Clrnpter 10:

Chapter I I :

B ~ b l : o g ~ ~ l i h y

2

3

The Influeiice of the E o n ~ e ' on Children's school pe.rforrnance 5

General views about Ec!ucation and the Hoir,e 7

Home Environment versus School Environmen; 10 ?--

i he Home anci Social Envirc-)nrnei~t 15

The Essential Role of the. Schooi i 9 - I he ldcal Tcacher 24

The Root of %samiliation 1Malpractic.e 3 C?

The Need for E-Iizher Educatior? 34

The Oiitcomc OS Eti~!cation i n l d i!ic Child's Expectrd C3bligations 39

The E f k : of Ec'lucatiolizl and Mass Media 4 3

n 0'nsc;-vablc ~ L L ~ ~ C S ~ ~ O Q S 48 , n . . :.. ;:1lci:islc)2 52

L ' > . ' -'

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The task of writing this book would have been absolutely impossible without Divine inspiration and Divine Guidance, so, unending praise goes to the Blessed Trinity.

Tlanks to the Superior General of my Religious home, Rev. Mother Maria Zhilota Elochukwu (DDL) for her support in publishing this book. i eqaally thank all my DDL Sisters. I am grateful to my natural home. m y mother, brothers and sisters; may God contmue to shower his biessingc and protection on them.

i am indebted to my Senior brother anci t t e wife. Chief Cyriacus C.A. Nwoke (Ahaorna eji ejemba I of Un:uezeala-Ehime-Mhano) and his Lolo Rebecca I. Nwoke for their wealth of advice.

?Aaiiy good people who were Bround, showed inrerest and madc s d f k s s cvntribuuons cannot go unmentioned, !herefore it. is befitting ro give xpecial !hanks to Mr. Dominic A.Y. Ukpo the Educationist, hc read the "Manual" Manuscript and brushed some mechanical and technical accuracies; before ge t t ing :he work typed. I am gratefui lo Rev. Fr. Enirnanucl C . Okpalauwaekwe and Rev. Fr. (Dr) Taddco 0. Onoyima, they ciid thc final rcadmg of thz manuscript and made necessary typograp!lical error corrccliot;~. My gratitude goes to Mr. Okonkwo Ikoku, who commented on thc work and computerised it. I am grateful to Mrs Josephine U. Ukpo for the mothcrly concern she showed when I was writing this hook.

Thanks lo Sisters, Mary Cosmas Idika (DDL), Mary Lucy Ugoh (DDL), Mr. Peter Donatus Eze anh Mr. Linus Ekpv for [heir special s i s t c i l~ and brotherly advice

Lots of ihhnks to Professor (Monsif:mr) Fcstus 2. Okafor. for his scholarly advice and conslructive criticism.

My indelible gratitude to Professor R.N. Qranu, for accepting ro pel-tise the work and write the foreword., My Inany othcr admirers, who ga\.e rnc words of encouragement, I say 1 cherish all o'f you.

Remain Blcssed.

MARY BASIL CHRIS NWOKE (DDI,)

f=m -- - ..- -

PROFESSOR RALPE N. ORP.NTJ (Ph.5) Dept.. of 'vbcaiional Ed~cation Uriivcrsity of Nigeria, Nsukka

n a very important mte, th-e k is &c core h e qfmery humato-bei~rg. The home Cajs the foan&zfr'on Ir: rhe ind iv idd Clu'IB's life. The home is the przmry qr?m uj'

socializaticrn in which the child had iris first rela~tiunship. ?be home gives the basic knowledge, as well as chnracrer, sociai virtues, values, rtorms, trrzditinns, customs etc. Tht- iwate psychological fmtors in-built in the home act as resenfcir. f r ~ n where the grewing child draws his strength.

Every home has its own individualiiy am'pcculiar .yc9nys of!Ve und these wh idua t home variables aid differenws ,arossly afi2ct the children's acaiemic per$ormance and odier hehavio~rrd hubits in the schoot. Generally, the home's attir-ldes :cwcrds ~dlrcatlon as well as the choice of parents' occzrpnrioa, in f lue!~ce the academic performance gf students. The desire for ~ducnttorz jbr children equaliy varies wtih the age of the pclrerzts as well as r k education received by the pcuents.

However, since the home alone does not possess all the necessary attributes needed for the child's psychoiogicd, social, moral, political, erl~rcational deve1opmei:t and gr-ow:h to become a h l l humn-being; *the society as an agent of socialization has to come in through the school,

The school offers formal education, which contributes in ch;mging the child's behuviour. The sclzool'hnnnonizes wltot is learnt at honte and the smietal values and norms.

The school pkays an important role in providing a' r-elcirive!\, objertive basis froin wiiiciz the growing rlt iTd fintls his herrrings rrnd ci.vrc.4 6 j t r s p o z t r l f l c d : ~ l c ~ . \ tor growr11.

The school does not only enhance the tradttiorzal a d cultural values in the child's life, but introdlices ~im. feaches new uni~ersol values. It may be obvious that the diverse ar,d complex home variables which impinge heavily on the growing child, c-ould either positively onr negusively affect the child's abiliiy to interrznlize the new universal values taught by the schod

Invariably, it is. the naturc of the home erzviron?r?ent, alG the f;~"ct,nrs bnvolvcd and the t~tfi~~efictr.~ r h q have on tl7e performance of the school children, :hat this book sets olit to irnrczvet. Read on.'

MARY BASIL CHRIS MYOKE (DDL)

r ' THE HNFLIJENCE OF THE HOME ON

Introduction:

T n the world today, there has been a tremendous growth in educaticjn and at such a rate that one could safely say that educationai revolution has set in.

j i ~ n i v e r s z l l ~ , education has gained such priority that almost every government of every corrniry spends a huge sum of money on education. Education is now seen as a very important tool for national development.

In + ~ s modern scientific era, new trends of educational adrnisistration have been introduced to maximize educational in-put and output. The type of intellecruals and rnanpower produced would lead our communities from m d ~ r - developed to developed system, tap our natural resources and enhancc a better socio-econo,?lic st-rclcfure.

However, before the individual child achieves h s education wtth specific ::r:ademic excellence, or fails io achieve it, the influence of the home on thc A,crsomlity of the child is very important. It is a " c o n ~ t i o sine qua non"

A c c o r h n ~ to Orhungc: (1990), any rncaningful discussion of a child s growrh ar.d dc~cioprncnt and the influenccs Lhat shapc 'chesc cannot fail io recognize the importance of the home. The importance of the home as 3

prmary agent of socialization has been acknowledged by most aurnoritics o i education today.

~ u c a t i o n a l adtninistrators and Heads of schools haw madc s@ruficani arternpts to bring the school rtild the home closer f a thc good of Ihc child 2nd to eriance his academic pursuit. To ensure the achievement of this, Parents- Teache-; nssociation (P.T.A.) is set up in schools today. Howsvcr, this book tries 10 exanlinc in concrclc terms the types ol mflucrlces the home has on academic periormmce of school children. It a i m at seeing how the homc variables could be handled for effective arid better academic prformance of school children. The kmwledge of home variables will hclp school authorities and teachers on how to handle the students' academic and all school problems. Tne author wishes to know whether the influence of the home is the type that enhances a conducive educational environment for school children or not.

In this book, we will know how the homc mntivares and encourages the spirit of education in the. young ones of f!~e family-the home. Alss the book will ilrisvd vihefze: I;?e:o, is aqy re!ationsh$ Sctweer? thp, school ckldren's academic perfor m a n e a d ihe hcmz's ar%d;uSe tc,vzrds fxm4 education.

But the question is: what is the nature of the variables, or t h i ~ g s In the home that can influence the psformancc of scn~ol children? When school performance is addressed, it does not involve the academic perforzance and excellence only, but includes moral, social, spiritual, physical, emotional, psychological, economic, political and all attitudinal and behavioural performances.

Chapter One

asically, all education bkcs place in a social c.ont,cd of which !hc? h o n : ~ is the origin cr the-stead: The home is LFle proto-type c f learning. Education car, take place becausc ma'z is highly z 'wciz! bzing.

- Education always 3fivolves tw6 parties, one !exzing. tk other in?:;r'Lina - h c knowledge. Education is a very impartant duty uf?ich everq. hoine atld r?i.cr:i society owes its members. I t must be nored that e.ducfition is oce cf the important factors that &stinb~shzs mm 5om 0th- animals. Cb.ilc,:r, dc mx wait until the age. of five or six, before they begin to ! e m . This is l-:::sxe, by &e time a child enters nursery schcol, he has already laid the founL'.-.:ixs f a r subsequent intellectual development, lnternaIized a basic set o f mlues; aqxi red a distinctive way of perceiving the world and devcloped sornz ?:isonal image of self.

These characteristics are deeply influenced by ihe home envirori!nerrt iiitc which the child is born. This home enviromnect varies immenscIy dcpcndizg on the socio-economic-status of the parents. EL is! the home that piovides the child's early socialization and initial education. It is the influence from the hone that has a major factor that determines what type of person the individual would be, so the education and success of any child, cankot take place in isolation of the home. In the real ,sense of the term, education is broad. However, the success of any. type of education, formal or iriformal, is rooted in the h n e .

The home i s a reservoir of. strength upon which children draw Tc. mce; iheir physical and emotional r ~ d ; its warm and intimate contacts, cozSaf,r!te to their feelings of security arrd belonging. The home has certzin p~i rnxy functions which include to socialize the children and to help the c h i l h n !r,: the proper foundations for de.velopii?g.their potentials and rea!izinz the: aspirations. The homz assists cE!drer? in learning Wir diFerent rclr- 2,,

boys or girls, leaders or followets, helpers or planners, members of a g r o q nr

Pmrc parents cis we11 as their ed.clc~t~on. Many einineni scholars attest to the fanst that the inriuencc o i i;;e :i~Xic cz

the child is of great iinportance t:hroughout the child's life. It is obvious that chu!drerr wz rexed in 2 way that reflects rhe personality of the parenzs, tne family - the home. It is possible tlat amprson coitld develop into a hurcan- being merely through the biological processes of maturation. Eqi~ally it c m ix possible that the person is not psychologicatly, sociaily, econ~miczl?:li, spiriiuaiiy or pnli'Lica!:y matxed, ~bh,rough t!!e influence of the home. it is a1 this jvnctwe thzt the school as 2 co-agent of sociaiizatior, Comes in to inculcate and stienghen the societal -norms into the child.

It must be kmwn that in the broad sense of hie tern, edt~cation embraces ali experiences of the child, through which knowiedgz of 'DOS' and 'DON' 'TS' are acquired; the intellect enlightened: thz spiritual, mcra!, social, cc:nnomic and even political "wiil" is broadened and strengthened. This e p c l of education or traii.ling is imparted by the home in a traditional way through i1~0:mai educathi-1, Debre the child is sent to school f ~ r iosmal zduca'iion. The 3ch001 Cn the nli-?e~ hand channels the child ifito. a wider strexn of socialization and civiliza(ion to dcvzl~;! all tkis innate potentialities which the home has pxven a bgse. The schoo! system is chiefly concerned wit5 the chilci's cognitive/i~tellectual development, so that he attains academic excellence. Not only this, &he school also helps to cultivate affective development of the chiid: character formation as well as psychomotor development of the child. In sh.o,rt, SIC school sefoms, restructures and reshapes the whole persoc.

The school achieves its objxtives of making the childrcc- (youngsters) into "wholljr deve?oped persons" by embedding all the living e::penencer; of t5e children at home into ihe school curriculum. When such is taught, the cl~iidreil iiionld s x &;: wh2! Ck)r hallre learnt at home still holds only that such learning is modified in :he schooi. Ir

Parents anc! other adnirs cf the hone must ,know tnat chi!c:ren learn a lot k f ( m they arttraliy besir? schoulirtg; they shnrr!d therefore zssume p p e r responsibi!i~ for hdping ihe children to have proper er:p.sciences and acquire the skills appropriate far tlicir zge.

?he home should prwide a conducive and 'nedthy environment, rich in dcvdcpmental sEllful exneriences; where the child is allowed to intera~t~and .p:irlii:ipate. hoirli: shuu!:! :'::ncourage the child to zxlend the interacti& fo tiic outside environment - schoo:. ... . I .

r . In most cases, the performances of some schooi cMci,rr.,n 1xge:y refltxt

the dominant characteristics cf the family - tAe homc. The atmosphere and the. influence of the h o ~ n e environ?leni aie thiiigs :o

be discussed along the line of children's school ?erformance. ??le home, be i,; biclogical o r social is a universal phenomena, if so? I t inus: serve some ~jrdvcrsai a i ~ d very ix~portant social functions '&-at no other institutions can fulfil.

According to Okafor, (1988) the human-being must nor only grcw physic all;^, bui mentaily, emotionaiiy, spiritually, so the b s k of i;aien:r; is naturally cut-out for them. Hence, the home acqiires by nata:e an inherent right and (?cry LC educatc the child. In anothzr vcii~, Pestalo~zi~ t5e great Swiss cGu:.atpr - I--r.,:>-.ii ,.,,,,zred *at %e home is the f~uadztion 3f a pure natural educator

-- of i- ,?~kin-i ;:ewe, the h o n e is the school of mor-alit:innd of the state.

';;is ?ducarion of the child will be more lucrative 2nd enduring in 2

hc%i:cy t:cn;e, 1h2 home that provides an inviting -fixsting enviro~iaent. The Fsiiile :rm,t be a moti:-sing agent in +he edu~a ikxz1 pursuit, since Ihe reai e?.:ic;).l.!nn @r ~ . c : ci%ld stz;ts at home and thei e x t e ~ d s t o thc larger socjet): tl?rough a e sch~o!.

: i n 5 lttress ihis pan t , Orhungur (i990) states that a good home prepares .zor)ii zanclc!atn,s for the scnosl and the society, while a bad home i x d s the S C ~ G O ~ with problem mmbzrs.

Factors in ttte home or chrect teachmg by parents have great influence on the ch!d, if these infiuences are positive, they tun o l ~ t a good pupil, - student

ol, if t iey are negative, they can make the child unfit for both school 2?y, such indi\icksls znd up being misfits or social deviants.

Chapter Two

me gives the c9ild a sensp of security, love and mutual respect aillong the I- :z5vidnsls 2t home, acceptance, sharing responsibilllies. feeling proud of one's

parents and home. Parem should not allow older children to bully the young oms so that

the young Gnes would not develop inferiority conlplex while the older ones wiil not devzlop authoritative tendencies. It should be ncted that positive or negative personality, developed at home by an individual child affects his academic performance either positively or negatively. The home must provide adequate @idelines of family value system but must not unduly restrict natuiai zxploratory behaviour. Parents must strike a happy balance between complete permissiveness, which leads to the development of a weak conscience and excessive prohibition, which produces unrealistic severe moral constraints.

At home, paents take t ine to teach the children loyality and commitment. h-ci~xd- children who have receiyed this type of trai-mg a t home are always obdient to the school authority, keep the school rules and regulaiions a ~ d are ever cmmitted to their studies. Such children, do not need anybody to tell them that they are in the four walls of the school far a very vital reason, that is to acqxire knowledge and achieve 'academic exseilence, Such children are 4ways at the right place at the right time, clo light things at the right place and at the right b e .

Furthermore, at home, the parents support and praise thsir children in various endeavours, that are worth while. This askect of home iduence serves as a motivator and reinforcer, this is because at school such children will get themselves involved into those activities, such as achieving academic excellence, good behaviour, docile to the school works and other curricular activities, that might attract praises from their "loco-parenti" - the schooI authority and other teachers.

' . The jdluence of the home on school children along with other family variables a h t h e characteristics of a child's home which are likely to Ceterminc what is !eamzd in the school or through reinforcement mechznisms affect what is learned in the school. The socio-ecooomic status of the parents may affect lexning conditions at home, hence that of Lhe school. If !he bome- family is pmr that it cannot afford seeing the child through in the bozdlng school, this will force the child being a day stude~lt.

This entails that the child will suffer all the difficulties associated with day-schooling; such as trekking to and fro, tiredness, mssing some lessons or

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*;% 1ec:ures. It is ob\~ious that socio-economic-status (S.E.S) may grossly r influence the children's l e a r r i ~ g ' a r t i t u a e & h posi'iikly rind il~ga~ive1-f. I t the&? ,- ;

parents are rich enough, they can create a conducive ewironrnenr Lor stiidies al:.>d home, by emicNng rhe home with tetichmg a x l learning aids.' Hones :hat csh afford it, have libraries arid s1.udy rooins for t k i r ci?i!&en, with a.11 the learning ' -

aids, from Eursery level to university level. The faniily may also provide ,sc;mt: other educational and te,achhg aids like chddren's television for edwational programmes Lo enhance the students' learning and si-uciies. Such homes go to

' ' the !ength of err?p!oyir,g private teachers for their children's educational instruction. It is also evidea that children frorn such homes atrend the high quality schools. Unlike the chiidren from poor i:o~r,es whose parents may not be able to buy ihem the recommended schooI uniforms, cxsrcise bo:iks: pencils, talkless of being abie ro pay their school fces. Such csldren, wi:e.rl statistics of the school recoyd is Taken, are seen io have st;ycc! nore out o f school'than in school. This home variables definitely Meet Iheir s c l ~ m i pei-fonnances. BL'T it. must Se understood that rrarure has c:ilegorized humx!- beings into two groups. T k group of high zchicvers and Che group of !GWZT

ackkevers. Of course, this 'gift of nature cannot be bouzht over wid! !;c!cii) economic-status (S.E.S.), of the family. At times, it is the clilcken from thc least regarded hrnilies that ~ r f o r m best in the school.

Studies have shown that socio-economic-status (S.E.S.) is correlHed (in - . -.s

iine) with students achievement, no one reality believes that socio-ecSnomic- staius produces achievement in any direct way. However, there m y he

. _evidence Qat higher socio-ec~nornic-status mu incrcage . the - IiJelihood , . - that . a

certain l exdng conditions and atiitudes towards learfing and schod will exisl . in the hone; unlike in a farrdy of low swio-ecotiomic-status.

Invariably, $halever !he nature of the home, if parents see that their chi!drer! are very optimistic i n their pursuit which 1s worth-while. be i t educational pursuit or vocational: ihey would go to whatevcr lenglh lo s u p # them becausz cjf the aatvra! iorce in them to help the chiltir~r?. Grhun:r!r (1990) in supporrhg ibis Idea said that rhe 1knct2:xs of nurturing, mccoi!.-r!;: and educating the c:?il~ire?! are pursued with xmre zexi uscie: rhe driV:z o i personal ties. Tie infiusnce of the h o n e is stronger than any orher agen! i.ri

socialization, the schoo!, the church, peer group etc, and ihis influence cuntinucs long al'tcr the cNkl is out of school. So without mincing words, L7x home and the school x e the key institutions involved in the process cf skia!

and psycnologicil guidmce of the school child. Socicilogic2lj; the task 3f edwatim of the child belongs to the whole

community. As a complex enterprise, the education of the child takes place pii'im2irily within one's nuclear family and extended family set-ups before it becomes the affairs of the society at large. Some environmentalists have argued that experience, if provided at properly sequenced stages can have almost unlimited effects on an individual's capacity to deal w i a his world. From this, it is shown that children fiom under privilege backgrounds may fail to make the most of their talents through environmental and educaticna: disadvantages. Hence Wolff (1981)puts it that children from poor and cu!ttrally deprived families, homes and neighbouihoods have high risks of school failure. Butit must also be noted that some &fluent, but broken homes and or strife ridden homes have more harmful effects upon children than homes Cixit arc poor in material wealth, but very rich in iove, respect for one another, peace, happinsss, joy, unity, honesty e tc Smh humble homes are in Faze and live in peace. They are satisfied with whhtever they have and help their children with what they can afford.

Any home that provides a congenial climate and a conducive 2nd healthy environment for the inhabitants and school children is to be admired. Such a home is n e i w noisy. The parents of such a home are serious-minded, responsible and children in that home, whether biological or social children will always model after the adults of such a home. Experience has shown that children from the poor but congenial homes can perform better than children of the affluent who hail from broken or strife ridden homes. Research evidence shows that the strife ridden and broken homes are always lensed-up and can dimlpt academic work. While the peaceful home is always quiet and enhances schoci work. Infact the three levels of learning found in the taxonomy o i

' educa t i~aa l objectives-the cognitive domain, the affective domain and psyschomotor domain, can only be attain and utilized in a he~ l thy and cmducivs environment for learning.

Obvionsly the position of the fanily is complex and the homz has the most potent influence on children. So the co-operation between the home and the school is very desirable. It must be understood t?at paxntai influence remains nct just lmportailt but so basic that the effectiveness of the school and of all extra societal moral influences depend heavily on what bas been established at home and continues to rear itsdf up in the school environmect

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Chapter Three

THE HOME AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

t is evident that the education of the chlld starts frorr. the crib in the home. T m a t 1 1s to say that the home provides the primary socialization and m G a l iLedccation. The child learns first and foremc~st how to interact wich the members of the family and later extends to the society. Orhungur (1990) has postulated that factors in the home or dmct teachirlg by parents have grcdt influence on the child. The home is the central force of all activities and the brain child of every individual's would be personal~ty

The socio-economic-stams of the home plays a great role on -die ciGld's academic performance. Hence, Rutter and Madge (1977) qiloted by Crhungur (1990). opine :hat the socio-economic-status of the farniiy 1s :he mosi important index, when cocsidering the influewes of the hcme on the child's education. This is because the type'of education children are given and the choice of school are related to the status of the family. To buttress iks point. slakemore and Cooksey (1981) rightly pointed out that parental income, occupation and education are extremely important determinanls of school enrolment at all levels. vividly: it is found that high quality education is disproportionately shared, in the seme that children from the elite family attend tk best private sckoc!s from nursery~evels to the highest level. Whiis those of the poor parents may not attend the commonest type of school, cveli whcn education is free due to other demands of school.

Studies have shown that chaiging of school fees is a definite handicap !o h e education of the children of poor parents. AbernestIy, (19691, qootcd by Blakcmore and Cooksey, (1981), says that the re-mtroduciion of schaol fees in the old Eastern Region of Nigeria led to wdespread popular protca &,id a fail on one-t!!rd in enrolment levels between class four and class h e . Exr;!:r~cixc has shown that the number of pupils, or students who register in a g l \ .~ l i sci~col at the initial stage never finish from that school or could evcn drop-ni;t, becausc some families cannot meet the demands of such schcol or may not cvcil buy ibe required items for school, talkless of school fees. In a study carried out by Peil (1977), as quoted by Blakemore e a l (1981) in Ghana, said that the overall

enrolment in primary schools fell by 10,Of)O the year ices welt; iiltrodiicd. The arbitrary drop in number may be due to the f3ct Tiat nor Inany farrlilies c m a f f ~ r d the fees, or due to the aritxdes of some parents, wha may not Want to invest a ~ y t h i n g in educztion. Such families sec education as waste o f economy: es@a!ly in female children.

In anoGler quarter, (Peil, 19-76, Wa!lxc, 1974, C!igiM and Foster, 1965, quotcd by Blzkemore and Cooksey 1981) have unaeriined the importance of prcn:a! c&;cafion in relatior? to children's schoo!ing. According to Wallace, when ;he rnotaer had had no educztion i t is the father's educational starus thzt mosr inf!ue!;c~s the chances of ihe c-";;id, but v&en the rnotklc: hail had some li~rmai educahon, then her inlluence is :he aos! important.

Howevcr, there is strong evidence that socio-ecc)~?c.i:r;ic-status bsci;gound affects the kind and quality of educaiim isceivcd. Eiut t h i s pcin!. depends soleiy on the motivation, capability and intellectua: abiiity crf rhe chiId i n 171 r -. ~ s i . : nis is becausc whel? am? w h r c highly intelligent children are id-r.. ~~it ied, p o r pm-its and oher siblings or xr.ern5el-s of the family often m d r e

cxtra sacrifices to maxirnizc tile child's c.h.anc.ss oZ educ::t_:l::jaal success, suc9 a cbild is virLiid!y on fihe way to aczdernic excellence.,

I n another vein, e x p e r i e n c ~ , ~ and studies hay-e shown that privileged chddrcn who manage to obtain places in secondary schoo!s because of their back-ground. ralher than their intelligence might be expected to have difliculty in surviving in Lhe secondary schod sys!cm, i t is also evident that children of ihe elite do not always do better aczdemically, than the sons of I l l i ter~tc parents.

The general cultural envirofiment of ihe hc~ne is likely to i f iuznce the academic peri'ormancc of the students. This is because, the varying ed::cxti:t;.onal r;ua5i;,s~h?s of C!e p m ! s mci ( ~ t h W siblings is likely to help the academic performance of school children. hTz>xally, it is very common for Lle ?lire parents to use the ofrlcral 1a:lgiage of ;ille school at home and teach it to ihcir children r ~ . XI ehsIy ; y e , This evemid!y puts the &ijd in the right p ~ q o f formal cducatioil. It is obvious &)at speaking 5nglish or French in the home is no d w b t associated with numerous other factors which affecc educations1 pcrformancc, such as Lhc ability of r/=ei!is to explain XtiW! work to their c h i i d i ~ ~ : encouraging thcm io read by buy ing them educational books; icwaitiiiig dnc! puilisili~g ;hem acco:ding to Ihcir scAooI p e r f c r m m x an6 making suri: that they do their home work. Many studies carried ouf..by

Aucationists have demonstrated the importailce of L9e cultural environment of , tie home on school children's academic performance.

Generally, ththp home's attitudes towards education and the choice of the parents' occupation also influence the academic ?eriormanc? of students. There are variations in parental attitudes towards chi1d;en.s educetion among difkrent groups of people of all walks of life; factory workers, businessmen, medical professionals, civil servar,ts, jaiitors etc. These identified variations of attitudes with their idiosyncrasies greatly influence the students' schcol work. it is evident '.hat the desire for educa!iioil for ch:l!&ci: also vuies with 2ge ar.6 educarion received by parents.

Xovever, many a researcher has stressed the overal; influence of c,lvironmeiit, including all cultural effects on mentai development. Some cr~v~ronmentalists as reported by Rogers (1981). have arped that expfiznce, if provided at properly sequenced stages c2n have an afinost unliinited effect on an indxidual's cauacity to deal with his world. 3!akemore and Cooksey (1981) sajr that children fiom under privileged background? may id to m&e Mz most of their nlents through environmental and educational disadvantap. Hence, Wolff (1981) puts it that children from poor a d culturally deurhed families and neighSourhoods have high risks of school failure.

CNldren from such backgrounds find it very difficult to cope with school work and school environment, such impediments often show themselves in the class work p-rformance.

It is commonly assumed that Sroken homes hzve harmful effects upon c>Wren. All manner of negative consequences have been att~ibuted to this one cauw i i i l early research seemed to supprt its valiaty. But there is evidence that studeir~s fiom broken homes, in which there has been a divorce, ~UKI out to perform Qetter than chilr!rm who are living in svife-ndden-unbroken-homes. in his own view, Heis (:968), pstu1a:cd thzt one ~f tke i~dicators of parental inter% In the child is the parents' response to L!e child's performance In school. According to him, since it is possible ix rhe parents to be generally oblivious of what happens to the cMd in school, at one point, the totality of performance is lightly su~~marized for him on a sing!e sheet.- L!e report csrd. Parcnts' response to the report card may impmantly epltormze their dtlitude towards the child's achievement, academic performance and qualities.

Parental response to poor grades may roughly be divided i r i t~ three types. ?he first is the punitive reactions, scolding the child; cri!icising him, depriving

of somethhg hz wants. The sxond is the supportive reactiocs, praising hm for the suhjects in whch he excelled and trying to help him in thz subjects he performed poorly cr dismssing the reasons for #e poor periormance. The fhird is the iadifference reaction, paying no attention to graacs. Simply taiclng the p r report cards for gantsd not looking at i~ at ail.

Unfailingly, thess pzrental attimdes woi;ld significantly, psitivel: or negztiwly influence the srudent-s whole life, personality developmenl. acadmic excellxce. zmhiuon ?od mctivatior. I C ~ achieve a set goal 9r whatever that makes a humm hang " 2 mar".

Chapter Four

'THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF TEE SCHOOL

-he school plays an important role in providing a rcla!,ivcIy objcclivc fl basis from which the child finds his bearings and assess Ns poten!islitics 1- for growth. The school provides identifyicg f i p r e s liy cstablishins

good teacher relationships. ~naintaining a hcalrhy school atrnosphm. moidin? unpleasarit and frustrating expcrienctx. The teachers can also influence thcir pupils' pcrsonality dcvelopmcnt by having cjcmocratic attiiucic:; tovadds Ihi.:~:. by 5eing friefidly and considerate, by bei~lg impartizl, by having good hun~our. good manners and good citizenship in tihe schotrl coin~t~uliity, h:: cnah!icg " students Lo bc secure in their happiness in school, by acknow!cdgin!? ;mi respecting their accomplishments and by allowing them to choosc so:~:t: of tlieir own activities.

In sending clildreil to school, parcnts now share thc responsibility of educating their chlldrer! with the school. Within thc school, rhe clGldrcn arc kept under the care of specialised personalilies wlx) impart into thcrn, the knowledge from literature or Sooks and the wisdom of iitcratc pcrsons of I!X

school. As a formally organized inslitution, the school be it (nursery. priinary. secondary, post secondary or univcrsity) always sets objectives, wllich ~ i ~ n at educating the children in all cultural values, much wider and more dycamic than those of the individual homes. The school thereby widens the chid's range-of human psychology, perspectives, contact; and FiCFZCS 5% :::c dea! with a *:drld more multiplex than his own home or immediate community.

It is interesting to note .that the school does not oilly er!ha:~cc thc traditional cultural values in the child's life, but iniroduces and feaches new universal values. The school gathers all the (home) chiIdiioo<l espciimccs a!~<j

rhc school cxpericnccs of thc ctul'd into a rccogniscd wholc rtnd tr;iins i l i : !~ Ii;i a specific and specialiscd vocational skills. Hence, in the society t(~d;:~, wc have medxal professionals, Lawyers, Educationists, A r ~ N t e ~ t ~ , Fs~c!Io~o~!s:s~ Businessmen, Musicians, Tailors, Carpenters, painters etc. me school Gerse is

L Is Schoal Euvirorxrz~n'_: Ff 2 rW6 cn.me.s k c , ? -2% 2 healthy h1.i 1~1,:

enviroarnmr ;txf =is P, ?e-;:%t; -&roI m - 5 ~ 7 ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ 3iz chiId.p;wild

easily a.dapt to his new home the school and face his stixiies. r

If cn the other hand, the child comes from I n mheaithy home environment and meets an unhealthy school envircment, there will be fricdon along the line and such a child will remzin frastrated in live. Therefore, the school should create a harmonious and conducive en~ironrnent for effective learning activities. When the ewiro~ment is inviting for academic or educational pursuit, the students develop positive atfitude towards life. The school should provide secilrity and tension-lree-environment in and for every srndent irrespxiive of the socio-economic-status stand of the home.

Democratic Environment: The school zs an instiiution should functior, on democratic lines, where there wi!i be freedom of expression or opinion and interaction among i he teschers and the 1ear:lel.s. Students' representation should b e l a d e in various comnit!ees so ?hat studenk identify themselves with the instimLkx and her problems.

The cI classro could f the stu very i t acwnl I ilevclol scrws

Ciassrosrn Zn~ironment: According to E~cocha ( ! W G ) everyone who is concerxd or connected in one way ~r the other wit! formal s~LczI!~:~~, t;i-sws what clzssrooni is and for what pirrAmse it exists. In deed. tr!c cl~Ssroom is regarded as the powerhouse in which the success or faiiuri: of rcaching and learning process is generated and susi:tined. Normally, the objectives as well as the expectations of formal education are executed and realized in the classroom envlronme~t: through a well planned curricuium. Although, howeve,r well the curriculuin is planned, it can only achieve whzt it is rnez:?t.for ~Wough effective classroom organiza~on and management,

assroom tescher, manager or admirristrzlor, shwld make the #om environment as conducive as possible so t3at d!c srudem xnefit from the teaching. The teacher should bear in mind that dents are "the working instrument at Pis &qmsal" It is hen nportant that every student's opinion mxst ti.? respcctcd and nodated. The sole aim of educational systeri? is Lhe con~pletc nnient of the chld's capabilities. The classroom environment as the incuhator, where these capabilities aie ~ncubated 2nd

4. Provision for Extrs Curricula Activities: !r i s incum??crnt cr: [hi. scho:;!, 2s agcnt of sociali~ation to csrganise a nu~nber af extra curricula ac~ivities cuitin,n 10 the nwds of ~adividual studenr 10 relessc his pciii- up crnotcional k ~ i i i i p

- - a. I ndil idual Differences: The school :speciaiig*!c.acher\ sllt)ulc! !w abreast with the fundamental principles :)i' h u r n d n bc.ha\iour accrued from individual differences.

T i m e dir'fercnccs nlani;'os! tii~mseivcs !nost in thc r:ltc o f pllyhic;~j growth and intellcctiml development. Tlie school sliould knew l ~ t x v 1 ~ 1

n a n a g e such cases whcn they appcar i n thc t e a c h i n g - l c a r n i n ~ situations. The texhcrs should know that thc growth r a ! ~ o f (:very individuai is set <juL by naturc coupled with nurtr~ral environlncntal forces. Tcacher should know that thcre arc ctrclin psyc'hologic;~i lactors which arc innate i n hu~nan-bcings and ca:~ have a lo t influence on' the inkl lechd development of the individual.

Teachers should as msch as possible !x zmoticr~lly stable and havz positive attitude towmkfeaching so as to undmtand the stuc!ents' probIerns in&vidud!y. The school s5ould take the interest ar.d welfxe of ihe rtuilents at

7.- heart. ~eacbers must 3e f:: i~il<'ily ;sVjTh all thc studczts, guide, djrcci ~d must be a positive model worthy of emulation to thern. The :eachcrs as .'lfico- parenri" should not c.h;)n liaiiry or t ; ~ \ w r to ilny t ti dent. ror suc.h k;I! Ihc'

spirit ol others. Tf!e scho~d, lflrough the icxhers silo~.li(i try I:) cic;wiop 1:

$;i;_;.sophy ~ . i life in rhc st~':>t:z nc s&c;ol +,ou!d crc.a:t: corjicicncc il l the students, make #the k w w and fwe t!!e :cdities of life. .. ,

. .. -- . - . .,

F6r ih school ;o achieve the set objectives for r h ~ training of Lhe students, zt should x 3 a i n from ma!icl.;\us crjticism o f personalities and uncalied for sarcastic and cynic remarks. Students' ability can be influenced by classroom interactinn and the vita1 part of this interaction is the language x e d Ti:? teacher should always cmploy friendly and reassming voice arid woid h e use of hostile voice. Evidencr, has proved that the attiiud~s teachers S:ing icto rht. classroom can eithcr positively or negatively a E ~ t the students' behaviour and performance.

Chapter Five

THE DEAFd.TEACHER

hat is ideal? Oxl'ora Advanced Learner's Dictioilary of current \ , q E n L glish, defines ided as best, as somethiilg pcrfect. Who is *en the

iT ' 'ideal teacher'? The idea1 teacher, is that educator who-can psychologicaiiy understand

the various homes environment, all the variables rrssociaicd wit? them and tb2 t y p ~f -influences they can haw on the schooi chi!dren. On rht: s e r ~ n d side, the ideal teacher is able to diagnose what m.il! bc ',he ir?flilence of the school on thew zhildren coming f r ~ m diverscd homc environments laden with various mditions and cxstoms. Such a teacher, wil! then. develop or generate the rnc:i;od of reconciling, the diverse home envi:onrncnts a n d the schoili environment and form "a suirable Icxning envirorinler,i". ?h!: nr,w atrnospheril so crcatsd, will bc ablc io put-up with all thc tlilfcrcnt hcmrin-bcings sent to school.

Havinz ic)rmcd the suitabic Icarning environnent, ! ~ c plans on how to carry okt thc tcaching aciivity. The teacher bcing the leader of his class., will stud): which of the thrce ieadersbjp styles to choose or zdopt la his class.

The ihiee lcadersh;.~ siylcs include: (1) Demccratic (2) thomxian (3) Laissez - faire ' f i e ideal teacher chcose: thc style of leadersi~ip that gives room for

students' par'iiciatin!l in the teacking-!,e&ng situation. hr? ideal teacher is not roo rigid or too flexible. 'The ideal teacher knows that ihe yurwse of Ic i ich i ! !~ it; to t'acilit::.:e Iearniny. Such teaching operates on an y e r !

illzi;lr r b x . i : ~ g ~ .=-. I - . and cr;.,;c:.S c ~ n d i t l o n s t k t t wil l makc learrring easy, P e capitalizes c::! v,*h;i! t!-~: c!li!d is rnost in!riested i n to incu!cate kitow!ecig_rc= 3:?'.rl - i n i t ! hilltrcss tiri: isi)in! Oknfor (.19!8) cipinc'd, that in cvcry !tacking 'zxning situatiur, :!!: r;zl.kr has :o m ~ ~ 1 r z i z e as ;:w.r:? as p s s i b k on what ixcrests im siucie-:its. C:I ihc similar veir?, Si1be;rrri;n (cpoted by Okafor (1988) p~srilated that leariilg is likely to be 'nore effective if if m&dout of

.at interests $12 i p x n ; : '.'!;13 \i.y.y iir!;'.'icy[s '?'." - : :. .::.:. Six=, T J , ~ ~1:;~s i. 2:;;jp -5 T!: cL~T,:,el I,:.. . . . .. . -::, - . .:, , ..-.... .. -. . , '. '

terent &&I &<a&9 ,<edi &&&zr &;rid!es 2 s:;,, 2 y,.:,:; :;- :;:;.?i- v,-,-::,. :.-.

;ry student's interesf is zchieved to the benefit ol' the. othqs. f i o w i n s fully well that the school is a domain of activities, the ideal teacher, srives to crezle an excellent forum for exchange of ideas which xe prnminent in the minds of t5e learners. The idea! teacher creates a conducive environment. where teaching-learning and exchange of opinions or ideas can go on unhampered. But what are the things that mike the teacher more effective in the clzssroom. make his subjects passed better than others?

What are the qualities that a teacher posssss, that make him to he loved by ;he students? What style of leadership does he employ that inotivztes thc students' interest in his subject and calls for m a s success?

However, what might make the teacher be loved by studeilts, cause mass success in his subject 2nd make him ideal teacher could include:

Accommodating students' opinion that is not detrimental to the welfare of other students.

An ideal teacher is ever keen to knowing the problems of the stuticnts and fincis a w2y to solve them.

An ideal teacher is ever ready tc evaluate his student's pxformance, for such gives him the clue of how much they have understood what has been taught. An ideal tsacher may even ask the other teachers or students to evaluate him, for such will tel! him how well he i s performing too.

A model teacher crea+e opportunity for s l ~ w :earners as well as fzst leaners, by planning his work well.

An ideal teacher stimulates, motivates, reinforces the students, as well aspunishes their wrong deeds.

An ideal teacher takes and sees all the students as his sociai childreil, and shuns all forms of favouritism

teacher, who km>ws how to peel his onions, acknowledges that me@hg out corporal punishment is not the only way of controlling

.An ideal teacher dm..; n:;t use hal-nir'ui or anusive : j i ilt.rc:gali)ry ~ v i T d i

on srudents or their parents. for such could put ;he rtuti?:ns off.

An ideal tcacher does not p:actice iovc ai'fairs with the students. whatever 'their - r&idei and 2ge.

S:uden~s invoivement: Tne i c c ~ 1 cias&o;n rachcr plans !us actitpilies iil such 2 way itlac !k studenrs. know whar io do and how io i : .

. ,

optirna! learning occurs in the c l x x w r n whe!; stu<ic:~is KiicrLV ii?;a~ i.i . . expecied of then?, An idea1 izacher. m a k c i1 crysi:ir :::a!- !o ihc

spdents h r rne business c,f teaching a x i Ic2r,rning is i n !A: : - ~ u r t \:f !?I?

teachcr and L\e learner h r an academic: excellcrxx to ocs::i

T;?e teacher who undcistands thc ~tuc!cfits' fcclifiss and accepts i1 :c . i~ attitudes is a perfcci kachcr. This is bccausc, pupils t i c student? !kc'[ very much at hcme with thc iertchcr who wdcornc: tncrn. it is ilni!

when the studeiits 3rd at honlc w i t h thcir Icachc'r. [kit t . h q -;i-:?i:!ti whole heartedly listen to him with a rapt attention. So thc hcst !i:aCilcr c o k u n i c a t e s inreractivc cues either vxbally c:r numcrbaily.

Apart from planriing and tcaching h s lessons wel!, itlc tcacher shouici "wear thc shoes of the learners". He should crnpathize with tiic students, attend to Gcir nceds, interests and problcnw.

Accepting studwts' irjtiation: A teacher who carries the cizssroom activities alonz, will be over Isbouiing himself and may cxpericnce frisCicn la &e cclassroom oid~::lr;css, sii~ii a stuiliie~~is: ~ ~ ~ a i c i n g noiw, throwing papers ni others or going up and down. But the perfect teacher gets the smdents involved in initiating classroom activities and taXc ihem to practical experiences.

!t must be remembered, L9at without the cbildren in ihe classroom, tiiere ivill be ii.3 :exher and without the teacher, the children will not be taught.

Clarity of expression: A teacher worthy of the name takes every pain to explain the material under study in s ~ c h a way ihat cvery child understands it, by using local examples, which the child secs and touches.

'Democra t ic in behak3iour' An idea l r eache r is cie~iiocratic ir, behaviour. He assumes participative or even s i t ua~ona l leadership. He also employs the assistance of another teachers where and when n e c e s s q . He puts the studcnts in study group so that they can share their ideas.

Peer Tutoring: A reacher whc knows the pros and cons o f icacilii;g- learning issues alloxs pccr-tutoring among his students. T i i s is ihc case whereby a student u-ho has understq~ci th? topic takcs i t upon ili~nsclf to explain i t to his ScIIo~~v student (s) i n tllcir sillipicr Ian;~~a:>:

Espcriencc has sho\vn rhiir. i i a child is praiscci lor a n s u , c ~ i n r 2

question correcrly, when rhc same or similar question is :iskcd asain. hc u:ill certainly ~ n a k c a promising arrempt.

An ideal tcachcr \{'ill nor hcsitatc in tclling thc studcnts thc ~ l x l l : ;lhoui their behaviour and where such behaviour &uld lead &em. Such teacher will make sure that students make right choice of subicc!5 for their External Certificate Exariiinatlon.

Creating room ior flexibilily: A perfect ceacher, makes rcwm for unforseen circumsrances. For example. if the rule is rhat any iatc comer must be given some s!rc!kcs of cane. Behold a child comes ;!:id says !hat hc came larc hcc:ruso hc has running stomach. Will such n child be Iloy+$'!

The ideal teacher does not sit down in front of the class with Icgr; crossed. He moves around the classroom, checking the students, those

copying the note or not. Assisting students on how to write well, checking their spelling 2ic. Such a teacher is very vigilant during exzminatiocs, making sure that no examination md-practice of any sort. Me czlh the attention of students,'who forgot LO write their names or code their numbers properly.,incase of external examination.

23. Physical presence: Norhing is so important and so ideal as ihe physical presence of the. teacher. The ideal teacher is always present and available to the studenis: at h e assembly hall or ground; at the Xefectory, at the piace of worship- the chapel, church. mcsque etc. or even in the Ee!d:

34. Teaching by example, insrelid by preceprs: An Ideai teacher teaches' by example, because seeing is believing "Do what I sey as I do it".

If h e rule is thar the conlpuund or :he corriacr should not bc littered with fruit peals. An itlcltl ~eacher will take hjs frdir pes!s io the dust bin aftcr ealing it.

3. Monitoring progress: .An effecris-e teacher ::.a:iiates !earning conlinuously by thc as2 o f obser\!alional techniqxs. as he moves abou! rhc classroom, by sc;rnning through [he stude~~ts ' work. looking at them in th& "faces for any sign o f confusio~~ c!r frustration, where there are negative expressions from rllc student, [he teacher gives a sinile to the child and goes closer lo clear his confusion, by csplaining the topic further.

26. Timing: Timing is another ~m~mrtant element in effective teaching. The effective teacher -mows when io qukken the pace in order to cover the syllabuses meant for the subject or cover the scheme or the unit. Zt is esseniial i G ~ E O W she:: !2 ch?nrre u L!?e tclpi~ or the activity to prevent students restlessfiess.

27. WXiilih and inthosiasrn: ixpziicncs has shown that students a l d y s ru i l after cheerful and 11;lppy ieacheis. Jovial and warmth kachcr char~l i and ilrav; s~uticni i i k t rnapnsi ro [heir s idc . SLudics havc indicated that teachers warmth and enthusiasm grossly affect students' performace in the clzssroom and-find achievement in life.

Hence Rosenshme I970 (quoted by Gkoli lWi) opined [!-EL sLudc.ns are happier in a warm accepting classrcorn.

An ideal teacher does not shout at Lhc def'aulhig chiid, raihzr hc approaches him like a friend and say in a gcntic Lone. What is ii'! Can I help yoil? The friendly voice alleviates t!le child's problzm, or sr~ivcs it completely.

The ideal tcacher chsciplincs l$mse!f before disciplining h i < students.

An ideal teacher does not look for anybody's irouSle cither frcrn among the students or among the staff.

F n scliools today, examination malpractice is becoming a cb~onic problem. ii It has beccme a visible disease and cankerworm that is eating deep into the

LLfabric of society's educational system, struchire and fou~dation. One may ask, what is examination malpractice? Examination malpractice is a siiilation whereby, st~cients cheat in exarnication through whatever means available. This sociai ill is found iil difierent stages a i~d leveIs of educationai pursuit, from primary to university !evel. It. is exhibited in so many ways from copying answers to buying of exarninaricn question papsrs.

The primary school pupils can cheat by copying tkc answers to the questions on their palmsj laps: on their thighs, on pieces of pnpcr, ialicing to cach other in the examinatioil hall. The secondary school students, copy oi? their laps, palms, thighs, or on the top of their iockers, on their scais or rou$ sheets. Examination nlalpractice is more conspicuous among scconclnry schi)c!i students especitilly during Extermi Exarninatioil like the West African School Certiticate Examination or its ucpivalcnt. In such examinations, thc studcnts could carry text books, pamphlets, note books etc. into the examination hall. They h u t fhr tile said examination question papers as w n would hunt for 'games'.

73ey often set communication network, though which tley could relay their messages. They have peer:lsnguages md slangs such as "ECOWAS" in the Examhaticn ha!l: a i.a.nguage which only themselves could uhderstand. The bjgher institution hnderptiduates have their own me'kod of examination #i mdpractice-too. Ttizse group of s?!dents conld sez the 1ect.d-ers, ar secretzy- typists private!.] for some 'kola' which coilld be either in 'kind' or 'cash'. This has ruined many an ~indergratfuate. They a!sa carry pieces of roilph u.wk irxo the hall, cup), Oil itleis pa11ns, 'laps C ~ C . They could also. implorc iliffcrcnt communication signs.

The causes of examina~km malpractice are not far fetched. One of the , outstanding causes is the seeming negligence of the school system by the

.

r Government, because the teachers and lecturers are not.well paid Hence ir?ey no longer take their teaching serious. The long chain of stiikr actisns >y teachers, whereby, the pupils stay more out of school than in school and Zid; syllabuses.and curriculum are never covered. It is of interest to note that the examination questioil papers 'cover the syllabuses and the curriculunl. When students are faced with this type of dilemma, the only option left LO them is to go and look for question papers and their solutions, before they go in for the examination. Alternatively, those students, who couid.not reach the "EXPO" cou!d rightly guess, !ikely questions, such -they copy a ~ i d carry into the examination halls. They can throw out the questions io other students, through the window for a possible solution.

Secondly. some students, whirl-away lheir time, engage morc I n

enjoyment than in academic work. Some disturb other serious students with their noise making. Some do nct even know that ~ i q are learners o: u311a:ewr level, unlil the examination bell-rings- It is [her., they rcalisc ihat thcy arc in school for a reason and a season. When they rcalise [he cl:ibarrassmcn! vtlich misht face them in our turbulent socicty, thcy go into any foul mcms of'gcllir:~ the cenificate, whch cohmands a iot of influence in die socicty tod~iy. For one to gain admission in[:! the higher institutions, onc niust get thc mini:ii~~in requirement. Even LO get a lucrative job the ccriilicatc. lias a "BIG SAY" ro i?.. It is in the quest of these that the individuals conccrncd look for. ji by rill r:icani and at all cosr.

So in order to survive the unccnaintics in thc socicty, the sh~ilcnts go into hunting for Examination quest'ions papers, a senturc n,lli'ch nnl!ocfy sho~iIti patronise. This apart, the apartheid nature of chc cciucarionai systcrn i n Nigeria, contributes to examination malpractice. Today, schools do not get the same treatment from tile national purse. Children of the clite class attend specid schools from nursery level to university level. !n such schools, every infrxLucture needed for teaching-learning activities is provided. T'k learning environment is conducive and so inviting that wen the !east brlclir ~!\.?.r-a_cc pupils or students are motivated io learn; because all thc t c z c h i ~ g ai:k 2 .x

available and are within the reach o f 11-IC pupiis o r ~~udcnrs . In such schools of' whatever I c ~ c i thc classroanls :ire so lurtilicd ;liid

. equipped that the pupiis and studcnts fccl very frcc and cor!lfortab!,p i : . !cnrfl. Such individuals dc not study in the rain or blazing sun, under the sh%de or hzlf-fallen apartment. What is more, the teachers of such schools do not g:? on

Those who claim to have succeeded through Examination ixalpracuce or other fraudulent means, will be exposed to their true colour and textwz when it comes f x the implementation acuvity.

It is always best for the individu.al child to be allo~vx! to ?row his inteIIectua! acumen than to instill false life into t'le prson. .4nybody living a false X e , lives in a bondzge and often develops into an ahnc?rnal pzrsonaiity. Any individual, who claims to be a professional in 3ny field and cannot dzfeeiic! the norms or fulfil the demands of ii is noi ~ ~ i t h 1;2mt3. FG;. j~stancz: :1; lawyer who cannot defend any case is not worth the namz 0; s i nd i ca l rloctor who cannot prescribe cven. paiiab:)l to the sick. caunc?: b ? ac ixcd i~cd . Whatever, professional skill, <)i!.:, claims to -possess, is uliliscd 1(!r [!I(, $00d i)i

t immii?y , which the individual lxould rendcr with genuinexss So ti-ie hm:e. Sctlooi and Society at large shodd mdeavour 10 give ihe >wn.gstcr. ihc bes: moraie in every aspect of their lives. The ageilts of socialization shc1;ld avoid 211 forms of dubious aititudes and behaviours, Examination miilpiacticc? crc for such destroy tk individual's whok personality and ! h i i g ! l him ihc malaise permeates into the society.

Chapter Seven

A pparently t'le geatcst c=xAwrience diat ;iisiingxishes hunan Seings fiorc other animals is EducaGon gained th-augh man's highly deveioped

1'. inteIlect than that of' other anha i s . Fufihennore, whal differentiates inctivldua! human-bei:ing is hi: qsajity of his intelligence. the experience and t-5.e desire of anending a higher instir-ution, for l a r i n g : w h e x more knowledge is acquired and she talefits accuzitely uiiiised. The hgher instih~tion like ihc University, Coliege of E&mtion: Fciytechriic or 0the.r higher insiimtions ci wcrXA, has a iot in store to offer ;he pu~igs te i . 73e University mtnd others as m i~~!ellectual incubator, where the students in!.eIlectur!l acumen is incubated transfomed awl invigorated.

Eminent Scho!ars and experience have attested t k f ~ c i 'that nohody <*jl.l

acciaim to bc socially, psycholo~ica!l!, .xonomicaily, poIiticdlq;l I-e'ligioiisly Zic

matured and balanced, ui?:i! oce passes tkrough the crucibles of higher Educarion: by takir,g a variety o f zcademic purgatives fionl the varicus departments of higher imtitutions. Tt inust be known that [he University environment is the ~ypc, ihat propagates ireedoril. This freedom could b~ positive or negative, deper,&ng on what the indi~idilal yomgste: wants, that srxiest who knows t!e need for Ngher ducation, uses ~ t e freedom to tour ths whoie institution and gather all the knowledge it has LO offer. A xtsdious student is always in the library consuming the works and contributions of cclebrated scho1xs found in literature.

The wise stildent, who knows why he is in the universil.? acd has objectiv~s or aims to achieve, always make best use of the visi5le m d avail&$ lechirers, as well 2s tlie works of invisible lecturers through rhe !itmature revie;;;,. it is o i ~ , : o ~ - : - ,. , . ;;,, t t z t iectilres, sernifiars or talks frcm schalars and ievlew of b o k s scrve z 2 ca~a!ysi- ;hat catalizes, ihe youngsters "sleepir-g ~alcnt" md wakes ir Crom s l q . and direct all Ns icertia energy ~owards achieving iangibk educations1 profession, thereby zttaining a ~ a d e m i c excellence. This is precisely m e of the reasons the home should' ac.ccrd the chlld wirh a vev 17 positive and sound inorality from the word go, for such would certainly aR>c the cbilci to positive bearing in h s life.

p' Any wise and responsible youngster knows that he owes some obligations

. to his home. the primary and middle schools he has passed through of wurse the university itself and thesociety at large. That is why Odoziobodo (1931) puts it that, the wise and intelligent student knows that he has a mission to the university. It is for this reason that, that wise young man directs dl his energy to the realisation of his dream. He responds positively to life and he successfully graduates and makes himself a 'whole' man irr every sense of LCK word. When he graduates, because he has gone through rhe rigors of academic search from the higher institution m d $en-Jineh s ~ c c ~ & , t,h.e impEene~tz?tion wil! then prove the quality of lris professional skill. It is said that the taste of the puddy is in the eating. Morally, such individual is refined He h s value for fk? social mores, respect for lite and elders. He t r e m e s 50th private znd p?-5?ic ?ropertics and he is never wasteful. Tihis is p m Q the fruit of the home crp-LA-nging mci the influence of education.

Comparatively, the youngster who chased after the negative freedom, which is ruinous in nature gets c&Tied alongthe line.

Zmh individual keeps floating in the udversity 'life made simple' and w a 7 xi.rtt: behold, before he knew it, his stipdakd period has gone. He nas r,;-; iiiified tkp. . ~ g h lfie university whims of rnateiialisn~. Scch individual .I$::, end up liks a rolling stone that gathers no moss. Such a student has

infict past ALhr~ugh the higher institutio~ 5ut the hi@= institution &d w t pass h o u g h him. In most cases, such individual Iea~es the universilty hdf-baked graduate or may become completely university dropout and beams a big soc=al problem to his home. It can be very d i shmning , &at some > o m s w b are mordly disciplined, who struggled and secd their chiiciren tci the higher institution are paid back in the bad and rotten coin which their children pick&- up in the university. , It can be very painfui to the homes, -&'isc ekikkez f~rget &!r ,r!?J&xs

and tk a m s of the parents f_or sending them to the univasity nm &ei fancies; goodies, corruption and- gro* genital p romisc~ ty and indisciplin- prevalent in the modem society. It is very unf~rtunate t!mt such mord!y m& and disciplined homes are shamefully humiliated by their cEIc5ren's m o d meMe. When the statistics of parents who mn high blood pressure, stroked etc are taken, i t is seen that such are the consequences of their chi1dren1s maladaptive and artti-socid problems and behaviours. However, most of the behavioural problems among the undergraduates are those social 'rnal2.isz'

which rear t5eir hmis hlgh in the socieiy arnong tk~e adults. Also most of the problem-unaergradtlaies, are Gie 'bo;m-i;o~m' "chlcker,", from some .L.!;i!e aad affluent broken o: srriie-ridue~i nurnes, who have ilu iwra l stak.ilit:j an2 discipline in their hc;mes.

The adage sirongl!: ho!ds. !Wmdy giws what he does not have ( N c m dat, cpod non habet). If the home has f5led tci p repre the child and laid i h ~ basic responsible f'oundaiion in his life, lroin the nl.!sery through the secondary schools: how then, z o ~ ~ l d the jlc;ung adolesccn,, YJ~IO is loaded wiih some bio!ogicrr!, psycho!opical and social Sekavioural prtlh!err.s encounlercd in Lye sages of cieveIoprnent, cop? with 13: faisscz-f'airc ii[i!l;tle oica:i~p:is life?

incideriially, ihe yilungstei n:?o is searching for persoilaiii): identity. meets his peers who h3L.e a worici o: ;heir own. cnd up. fnrz~inz the xx.ror?~ work: of' their own. in dzed; hcncc? i-.crc:-cull socii:.!ies are br.,rn In [kit: Ilighcr illsiilu!i~r,~. According to Jarnes Madison the hurrh Presiilcnr of i?ri~cric:l {quoied by Caozio.l-ro;io. 1991): "kliciuledge wil! inrevcr yveri i ignorance arid a pwple who nleall to h\: heir oS;ii govcrn~z-s m:st ar.J;1 thcn,scl~:~a ~vittl th:

power which knowlcd~c gi:.cs". i i is obvious hat rhc hii!li= and lhc s~c icL>~ :it

l ~ g c want Lhe d!ilcirs inLcllcctuai :lild pcrscjnaliiy dcvciq~r~cnr . 1 7 ~ ) ; ! x r i j l ~ ,

child tn be a qualified pmonr~el i l l \vliaLzvcr profcssio!;al skill rind c;~pacit\,. The home and the soci:ty know [hat i f thc child's inLcllccl is gsooincil rhrorrgh the acadcniic 2aide1i. (he hoinl: and !he socicty \ v i l l be Scd n i t h rich intellecluaIs wiio will he ablc to tap ~ h c society's iiarilral rcsourccs nirh casi.. This is the very r w d for higher cducari'on for cvcry ~ n a n b e r of any gi;;cr! socicry. - l h e M 2 k r inslitutioil has tile grand'duiy of imparting Lhe knowk&c, walung the inertia energy, quicke~iag the intel!igcnce, refilling the tenets, and perspectives and deeA@ng rke sense of personal responsibilily in the youth, w k h \.vi!! see him ?krl.rgh his life. One of the essential roles of the home 2nd the society is to he!p th? grnwing child tt; discover himself.

This self discovery of rhe child i s faciiitated, s t rens thened and * harmonixd 5y the iiigirer i~lstiiution which is an ageni in i h ~ individual's ~ociali%a!ion. 5ti:h rk ilonlc anti (he instit'iltion help !he yo!rLh to scck ll!c trilth, to !each ihc irc:Ii. pri)fcss rhc truth and prcscr\.c thc r~u!!;. ?L'hcrc rlls hoixe and schoc! 2 : : : raodclfing and Lhe child interzialized the positivc rnalekials, he has iearnt, s x i i a ~I i i id yi:l never lusc I i l s bearing, hij\~c;,cr confusing his new cnviromlent might be. - i 2

Research evidence, as well as experieiice h ~ l d that the ilzture of L5e inreilectual environment, especially when it is purely acadernicaily illvitiiig, gingers, galvanises and in short catapults the young mind - the undergraduate into a new world of eager intensity, reasoning and motivation-to explore the whole universe. The youngster's thinking faculty is activated to explore the ideas of the great thinkers of old, embedded in literature, found in volumes of books. The youngster's intellectual idea are sct in motion. He goes into Lk academic stream searching for more ideas and he starrs to generate his own questions and hypothesis.

Once the undergraduate, starts generating his own questions 2nd hypothesis of: Why? How? what? Where? When? and Who?; it then proves that the youngster has attained intellectual emanciparion and will definitely survive the ups and downs of proven intelle.ctua1 ques!.

At this juncture, the former schoo! chlId is tiiscarding his childhood coat. He has reached his personality development. He is now nourishing, nurturing: showering and flourishing, that his singular iluaIiti., wNch in his reason. Thc quality of his reason differentiates him from other T?c:sons. Tic prominc!lcc of his thinlung faculty accredits him the real inrcllcctual and acadeinic man. Thc I.!:.: !I full of wisdom and knowlcdge.

The youngster has now become a scbilar; and according lo an Amcrican Philosopher, RaIph Waldo Emerson, the scholar is that man-who must take up into himself all the ability of the time, all ihc conrributions of thc past, and all Lhe hopes of the future. He must be a university knowledge. The abovc statement buttresscs the fact.that, no olhcr institution of learning actually oficrs knowledge superior to or above ihat offered by nigher education. I t can then, be safely inferred that t o have had a higher education is a sure sign to have become a wise man, morally matured and balanced personatity. He has in short

* become an encyclopaedia of knowledge, where oiher members of the society could go and drawn ideas.

With.the attainment of such intellectual. skill, the home and society ai large look at hirn as a Warrior agaimt all forms of. indiscipline:- Moral 'indisciplinel social i'ndiscipline, polilical, cconornic, religious..emotional etc indiscipline. Hc otvcs thc socicty a lot of obliga!ions as Ihe light bearcr, who has achieved and acquired such an immense wealth of knowledge from hgher education. But how true is this? It is dependent on thc individual person, for i t is obvious, one thing to possess a higher education and it is yet another thing to

possess a hizhter knnwledge! expected of the individ~al. Certainly, there are many people who are graduates who are not worth the n a m . In fact, experience and time nave shown that there are some 'educated people' who are intellectually, socizlly, reli,aiously, emotionzlIy, evm physio!og~cally and txhnologicaily more primitive than the primitive 132n.

Chapter Eight

TZHE OUTCOME OF EDUCATION AND THE CHILD'S EXPECTED OBLIGATEON

ducation plays an important role to provide opportunities for the -.+ devclopnlcnt of the potentialities of evbry individual child sc! as to 1P ~ A c o n t r i b u t e !'or the development of the nation. Even educa:ion has qual!y made provisions for exceptional chldren: who deviate from thc nc;rmal

o r ihc average children in mental: physical and socia! characteristics to such an cx twt :!:at thcre arc mociifications in school prac!ical activities. Special cduca;.ional scrviccs or supplementary instr~ctions arc devclopcd !or s ~ x h chjldrenl in ordcr to maximize their capacilics or potc:l~iali!jcs too.

Now, the home, the school and the socicty at large having cariicd out s ~ c l i ostentious and sll'enuoug responsibilities in the education of the child: tZ.,e child having developed all the potentialities associaled with his pcrsonality typc is *hen o b l i g d to c x r y nut some functions and dutics in the socicty.

Thc child who is now a fully grown up and maturc human-bcing in a11 ramilications is cxpccrcd to bc vcry scnsitivc to thc nccds of thc ho~nc, necd; and rights of other individual persons in the society and the society as a body. For instance to dctcrmine a student's level of undcrslanding or knowledge. some bcl~aviour must be performed. Observation of a student computing an arithmctic pri!hicm, provides thc subjcct teachcr with information rqr-ti-ding thc child's understanding of the. multiplicatjon proccss.

* It is therefore expected hiat after educating the chlld some ncw prull~ineni and ref ind behaviours should occur in him. First ant! forc:nost, the child has now attained a high lcvel of social disciplinc, ilioral discipli~ic', c'conon~ic. religious discipline, etc. Having gonc through thc wean1 of cc!ucational training from nursery to university levels, the child should be seen as somebody

. who can perfectly manage himself and manayc thc socicty. With The attainrncnt of education, the child now dewlops :ino:!~cr self-cnnccpt. full of nlaturc perceptions, mature and lucrativc mc:ni.rics. r c a w n a b ! ~ ~:a!aes. bcco~ning and rclined attitudcs, invaluable intcrcsts, healthy cxpcricnccs, sclf-

esteem, ideal goais and positive ambitiox. The educated person wiii niii Se too rigid or too f exible v:itl kmself, he

has to make room to accommodaie ail6 a s s i rn ih~~ n w ideas as kc climbs the mobility ladders in a w r l d ful l of experiences. !t is important to note that an educalsd person embraces neiv m\W)n~nenr every day i l i his life and every new envlroiunenr has new zxperie:?ces to O H ~ F a i d add lo scX-concept.

In the ideal sense of the term, :he basic fw:c. wMch motivates h e home and the school in the educatioil of the child,, is to help the child to attain sciC actcalizatien in any field of life: where his natural talent or aptitude fit:: :-, most.

Tne educakd child, now adult, whatever iris a$ludz could have acquired. professional skill as

- iMedical personnel - Security personneihaw enforcenent agent - Technological personnel - An Architect - X Clergyman (Xeligious Woman) - A musician - Business Vcoon - An AdrrkMrator - A pilot - A Captain of a ship - A driver of a vehicle - Cabinet maker - A renowned mechanized farr;1cr/4gricuiiurist - A Tailor - A Politician etc, etc. ~ i ' + v v ~U\.%CJL n- . . r * - ; -+ . r YLLIILLJ nf VI - r n F o ~ ~ ' n m p ~ \ , ~ r d ~ ~ . . & 1 rL-il!c U..crru, the .-.- indiyidllal h:aq really become

a diffcrent human-bei:~g from :he fcr~ner cl~iltl we know. Yes. it is true. i t is wonderlul, i t is mari.c!IOus, ~:luc;:f i~il has donc i t , i t has transfor~ncd thc original c n d e and raw hurmc-bzim -, inio a hainli,;jzccl and refii~cti pcrscmiity.

Without minsiilg words, ale cducatcd Inns: allow thc fniit oC education t:.)

permeate his whole ivays of lifc?; his beha\fiour; attitudes, rnanrlerisrns. his social relalionships and reli9icus bc!icfs. Sirilply put. he must hc cduca(cc1 from "head to toe". He must be a total changcd or transformed human-being ir: all hls dealings with his ie!low llunlan-beings in the society. He must assure

~ h s t order, peace and tranquiliity exist in ihe society. Tie must Gght f : x thc course of truth and security of the society. He milst makc sure *a!: kxcst:;, justice and fair lday prevail in the society. The educated n?an, must frown at ali the social malaise przvalent in the society.

As an educated and learned young individval, he must ckvc i~p rtle ahlliiy of to!eranc?. He niust tolerate himself, fellov; hamxl-hcings es v:cIl at; uncertainties of life. He must cultivate the abiiity ti; accept hi~nsclf and o!kcrs. AI:: uncor?&t;ona! pcxifive rezard of human-beings in the snci~ty if a key sign of an educated person.

The new product of educat ion, the yc;ur:~ zraduare of acquired , . professional ol ~vha:c~-cr arcer: is expectzd m.4.:. or!--.?IS' C:YICC"II qis ~~.ir.!?.

He must mak? his hornc. t i ~ c iris~iiu~io11 t!;rt! inccli~:l!s.:i k !~c ! : s - l ed :~ ~ n ~ n t?im and sgcici~. i q i . f i - i prond of :rii:li, 1-i: lll!:s[ $i.,,k;j. f~ :? i.:!,? v ; ~ : ! ~ ~ : !:i:: peuple. X.ic CIL:SI ~ a ~ o n i i ~ C J ;'dw:iIi~ifi i:i his C;lm~:i~l~;:,., i'lli:( 'UrzC 2 ~ 2 ~ 2 : i> i s , )

send :heir children In schm1. Hc must 1n01iv31e <'~!:cT ci!iidr.?n to ;i:-i !,I :c.hv?! by his style of lifc as a ref-u-rrncd transforrncd educated pcrson. T;';c. k i ~ i , ~ : ~ t f

individual must have other's interest at heart, 3 e must nut bc seliish. 9c inusr w:i< ways of e r ~ a n c i n z the developrxnt of the society i n which he li;.i:ti. FTc w s t be problem-solvins, development-seckinp-cct~trecl, rather than self-- aggrandizement-centred and pIeasure-seehng ccntred.

Whatever, his job profession, the cducatui pcrson is c~pccti.ti io cor;c.t:ili

himself solely for Lye welfare of hu~nani~y. As silillil(>Ile !w!~o has pist !I:;orrsh educational institution and has allowed the educalicmal in:;tiIu!ion ro pass through him) rnust fuve dsveloped Lhc ability :o look aI 1ifL1 fro111 A I i oh.ic~ti\~; point of view and plan how to channel h e objccl.ivc. ;!ad othcr proyamrl!cs 1:)

yicld positive outcomes arid outputs for the good i ) S rnankintl: Whiic i n school the ediicatcd was n=t er.,xcttx! to de.viate from ihe valued norm anti culL~rr:!,I values of the society; when out of school, he ~ ~ u s t Keasure such value:; stil! and teach "crier rnemhcrs of his con~munity how to prcscrvc cuch V ~ I U C S . FTOWCI.ST.

. since culhire is ilot static, the educated person is cxp!c t f ic) u x his position : < )

. .mow more light on cultural values, so that they v;iII he utilimi to enhance community development as well as personality development among the gror.lp.

'. The educated person as a modern man, should modernize cultul-e: nol r o

destroy it. It is evident that in somc communities, 'hc cultural valucs. Yecm !o snifle progress in the course of developing thc area; as well as persons. This is the juncture where thc educated modern man has to conic and reconci!::

conflicting issues with reasons. As s sig~ificznt cther in 3is -~ommmity- he must, live a life worthy of

e~nuiatiou by oiher mzmkrs of his commnity. FP should he the to Ms group in promoting social justice.

Chapter mine . .

THE EFFECT OF EDUCATIONAL AND MASS MEDIA

edia are c h a ~ e l s through which messages, information. ideas and knowledge are conveyed to people or inculcated ilnto learnen. Media are the to:ils or insUuments through which s d ~ ~ i u l i can hc

passed or obtained. When such media are used for instructional purpose. they are called educational media. Educational media r e k r Lo all educational resources.

These include all priijtcA and non-printed-mc~ia. All visual rncdia. ,4i! Audio-media and all Audic-visual media.

Printed media inc!ude: - Text books - Reference books - Work book - Magazines - ~ournak - Newspzpers

. - - P~stecs .- - - .S - a- - Handouts - Handbills - . - Walk Charts - Maps

I

- PicTures/Photographs ctc

Non-printed media include: Chalkboard Flannel hoxd Models

- . - Wwk-UPS YB " Real-0bjoc.k (realia)

- Puppets - '"Wiorama - -*-. -----. , 4 . . 4

Specimens Globe Art work These ixe also non- projected Visusl, rncdia

Audio-Media include: Audiotapes, Record players, pu!,l;:, Psidress systems, Disc, Telephone, microphone, talking drums, human voicc, etc. While Audio-visual nledia which is also callcti t:ansmittcr r r d i a include. Educational Television (ETV), Instructional Television ( I n ) and closed circliit Television (CCTV). .._ .- . - .. -.

Basically, educational me&a play a very significant role in the teachirig - iea-iJiig siocas. Zticar:lori& mcda aad icsnctional aids art= interchangeabi 1- nsed. Iviass meGa nieam clsing rhe ulzciia iisred abwe to reac!: nzmerous ~ e ~ p l e : thereby ip;llueilcins heir ideas. In the teaching - learning sitxaticn, the presence of the educaliond media especially (Audio-visua! rnediz) where the activity is seen and the sound heard, motivates the learner.

Xowever, Sefore any educational medir: will be effectively nsed, the "zacher has to consider his ir~tructional objectives, that is what he sets odt to achieve. If the teacher, wmts tc, reach the cognitive domaih to impart facts. principles, knowledge and data, radio or ot!m him of audio media may be considered. On the oher hmd, if thc zffetive or psychomo',or domains uz to be reached, other forms of media which czrry sound azd pictures are considered.

It is then, crystal clear + h t the child whose home ewirorment is enriched with these types of media, will defiilitely masier every iesson transmitted tkough the mass media. A child from such :home background, will adapt inore easily thm a child who has not even seen a 'tape recorder or televisioil se: before entering school. But what is certain Is that some elite homes may provide all the worth-while media for their children, to enhance their leatrdng activities, yet some children are fascinated and carried away by the weairh of their hones ahd never take their l d n g serious. Would it be suxpiisir?g Llat children from wretched famlies, %who wauld 'peep' through the wiodovi blind could "steal" what the rich home environment has for her children from tAe

" mass media. This sinqly meam that o f m children from poor homes, make best use of the educational rcedia provided by the rich home environment and acquire all the kncjwledge skill they impart to the learners.

Nowadays, the new trend of education has ushered in a lot of changes. In tovm at ruwhlir , , ,,,,, sqzres, L k e&x&nr?d Te!wfsjnn mu!d be W P X ~ to exhibit some programmes for the learners. So that those children whose homes cannot afford 2rivzte one:; could go there to watch t_he educational programncs gcing 4

on. Xa&o ~zmmission is carried even in vernacular for everybody to hekr. However. when c?lildrzn enter school, the differefice is clear and seen ir,

those who have beet influenced by tne mass media and those who have not.

THE ESSENCE OF THE MEDIA

The h p i & i i ~ e of media cavo t k sv~emphasized, because they heip to make learning activities drcple.

1. Media increase learning effectiveness. It is evident ihat learners are more likely to be able to retain and recall with ease a greater

\ percentage of what they hear, see and manjpulatC at the same tinn,. Experience has- shown that children who are locky to watch some edixaGoilai piogrammes, often pracilce such programme ioali;!.

2. The use of apprcpriate mectia with real dbjkcts presented Pefore the learner, tend to concretize the learning expedences of t'le chiId bealsp, media actions are more of practical activids.

'l J . Media helps to individoaiize instruction. Tnere are many avenues for

Iearr?ing and each i emer can go and use any media at his own pacz or time. The teacher then, is at best 2 facijitator, a rnouvatur o y.r&ar!

of icnowldge and !ea~ing .

/r . . With media all :he children, nor:nrt? or abncrrnal h:;.~ :;:?2?

opportunity to gaia E x glamour ofechcaticn. :t ! u s beconi: r\S~+ur: '&at with appcprhk use of m&a, t k . d c f , a e '~1iil.d~ 3 -35 . ~F;c

deaf and dumb, studenrs have acczss rn cdncziion 2s the ~:TZ:!

students, t t~ough the use cf eS-ucational cqrripment spciaI!y d ? s ; g ~ z - l for them.

5 . Mass media has acted and is still a c m g as r; key factor in m y successful learning activity. Edxational programme carried in C x radio or-teIevision cmld captivate school children; especi&!y w h m fie; &&n & ceir f&ow S C D ~ ! &!&err ?&k c , ~ ~ i k a ~ GE

I'

discuss certain issues over Lie radio. Or watch them ~ ~ r f c n r ; cl=.rtain acts or carry oilt some learning activities in the teievision. When idevant media materids are utilized to introduce, eveiop, discuss m.3 conclude a lesson, students interest x e fuCy aroused and they iisten with rapt attention.

6 Media lends authenticity to teacher's instructional materials. .F?i

instance, if the history teacher enter the, class ar!d starts rliscus,ing the

consequences of war: h i s talk might sound a. fairy tale to t!e l;h&qts. 'Dut if h~ sobstantiarw his talk with filw or videc, showi~g real w;.r

scene of how life and property were destroyed. The teacher's p in ts will be corfirmed.

7 . Practical experiences, especial! y in rea! life ssltua~inn are pfoviaed though the mass n~eeia. The lesson taught or cliscnssed thus, vii!l have a very r'asti~g effeci oz the learner. Seeing is beiieving. Showing video or film of the snow and the desert in Geography class or cocid studies; or minials iil their natural environiriental setdng or Lhe system of real child-<ieliverjr in the biological xience class. These provide first-hznd inforn~atio,~ and internalized experiences, wIric3 -xould not have been a ~ ~ ~ l a b l e :o t!x learner through &eoreticd ieaiijng.

8. 'Through mass rne.dia, documentary evideaces in zrchives and mrseums are reziwed m d exhibited. Docu~.entwy evidenczs we asually very intonnative, imtructive, educative and entertaining to yocngsters 2nd the scciety in general. Children from homes that h u e idevision sets and where s ~ c h media 2re made best :;se of duz:ng educa t ion~ l prograrnntes acquire a lot of general knowledge befcm they enter school.

Of course. if a homz cannot afford telemion sct, it can z2'toi-d a radio. However, the problen! does nct lie much in having ttizse, but i;! making groper use of rhern. When L!cy are made prop: use of: cNIdren from whatever home could reach them. But it is seen thdt thsse who have rhese media, make use of thcm for laying disco mwic or watcn movic lXm, which might desiroy the children's life experiences

9. One of the major e ~ e c s of mass meaia 1s mass eck~ca~on. Millions of people can bc educated by a single izaciier at t!e same time on the baiiie topic Ulrc+ugh radio or telziisiun progmmrne. Thosr cp reach o&er places RC difterent '_imcs Ihro71gh a rday of W prograrn!nc

!n summary, the relevant use of educational as! ndss media, can stimulate learners iuterest, widen iheir horizon, deepe:': their knowledge, ifivcrsify t~t.,:tcher's staicgies and met%ods. M s s mc& can reach mifiions. of leaners and ether peopie at tiie same h n e or c'iftercnt times a d places. lMass

, ~ n c d i ~ iias introdxed x w sends .ir. ducztinnal proerammes and hzve made educat i~n to b e c o m ~ more purposeful, more productive, more scientific. more powerful, more immediate, more individualized and more concrete. What is more mass mecha have made the educational system, more lucrative.

It is then, the sole duty of the home to make use of these opportunities offered for their children's education, by making the home environment conducive for their academic work.

Chapter Ten

for the students. Parents and the other siblings should enmurage the students in their educational pursuit. The strife-ridden-home!;, should try to attain reconciliation to give room for a healthy environment for educational pursuit.

It is a known fact that formal education takes place in the school. The school has ordered units or partitions called. the classroom. The classroom is mainly characterised by a teacher, children ready to learn and teaching aids, like the chalk board, charts, pictures etc. It is paramunt important to know that whatever will happen to the child in the school environment, ir, terns of knowledge acqnisition takes t!e first step in the c!assrcom. In the schm! activities, the most prominent authority is the subject teacher. The success or failure of the child in every aspect of teaching - learning experience depends largely on the nature of the interaction that goes on between the teacher and the children in the dassroom. The school, through the teacher represents the wider society in educating the child, therefore the teacher should carry out his teaching work, with utter devotion, dedication and love for humanity. Tfie school system should act as a catalyst that catalyses the dull students and generates enough interest and desire to learn in them. The teacher will only be able to transmit the objectives of education, where the classroom' environment is so conducive for a heelthy academic and social interaction. The teacher- school i s expected to teach the children concrete cultural vaiues and experiences. The school Authority should know that the school environment must be inviting for academic work. other wise both teacher and learner's efforts will be wasted The school, in helping the students to learn, must try to reach the three domains of educational Taxonomy, which include: the cognitive domain, 'which emphasises the intellectual aspect of learning. Cognitlve domain, is the area of human person that reveals all the thinking processes. Other levels associated with Cognitive domain include: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis arid evahiatioii. ' Z e S C ~ G G :

must vividly unfold this domain, because if the child does not know, c m o i under~iand, apply, analyze, synthesize or evaluate then [he objective of education in this area is futile.

Another domain in the Taxonomy is the Affective Domain. The Mectnve Domain deals with affective objectives which include: feelings, emoticx attitudes, disposition and sentiments. Some people may say that this ai'i.7

concerns the home. But let it be known that the general society is concerrd too; because if the child is not taught how to feel for himself and otl-~ers, gncd

mailers ant1 attitudes, which the society valves and accepts, there wdl be an ani~chy in the society as 3 result of "!lo as you like it behavioui". Schools and those concerned with !he mrricuium plaming, sheuld enshrine, objectives in tF,e Affective Domain in the curric'dlum, mzant f ~ r ali levels (if learning. Such objeciives should be made compulsory in the class, before a student is declsed successful.

The last, not the leasi of the three Domain? is t l e Psychomotor Domain. The psychomotor domain has [to do with motnr ski!!s, mnst p s y c h c ~ e k x t%ks are inherent in the human organism. Uoder normal c.con&'tions, mator skills develop naturally. However according to Onwuka (1990) for effective peifommce of a wide variety of life tasks, it is necessary for educators to develop various skills of a more complex nzture in addition to the inherent ones. Like the cognitive and affective domains, the scheme of the psychomotor domain include: reflex moveme~its, basic fundamental rnovenents, perceptu21 abilities, physical abilities, skilled rnovements and oon-discursive comnunication. This domain is as important as the other domains and more clcsely related to the cognitive domain; since there are references in perceptual motor skill and sensory zotor performance.

The classroom teacher should gex his effom i o w ~ d s bringing together h\ese thicc, v k e d domains and build a "whole matured 'human personH- th? schooi child. - the school 1hroi;gh the sxbject teacher shouid know how lo handle indcpendci-it xlriabies in the cizssrocim, so that the sb~dents wolrld benefit in the lesson. :!><'..---, J,lrc,,.Geni variabies are Gliis~ activities thz: $,e :exher can pian, design or crcate r>r implement, such inchiae: lns'c~xtiona, l e a r ~ n g experiences, rn::tcrlrtis: :!.ssignaeiltst iasks and Ixrures. If (.he !eaclxr handlc-s W s e lean#% acthitie$ Vciy qrj!, cc!rt.ainJ+ desired r~,sc!t i.yi;.i!! or,r,ta i:: &z cpj!&en-~.- sttidefiis: Xerefcre the rcaci?cr should be candid wiLh k s work.

The teacher shoui:! try ic; gcnerate some hypotheses pertaining t~

clzssrocm? iearning outcone in general. The statements which reflec*, how a teacher might ernp!ay hypotheticz! thinking include: If 'h teacher dws such or such, then the students will do such or such.

.!

I . If the practicai activity is providd- with additional problems; then tk

sbdents will increase their ability in addition eperations.

2. If me eaciler devotes time to prcsen: new wcrd iz the c!ess kss~n, *en the students will increase their sight word vocabulary.

3. If the teacher designs interest, centres for nieasEing 2nd c~t t ing wood, h e n ~e students will become more proficient at measiirenent.

4. If the children are given opportunities to write about their own experiences, then they will be more fluent in developing language skill of heir own.

5. If the teacher provides frogs and dissection ~nateriah and demonstrates ihe grocedure befdre thz class, then the students will !ear:: all about tIie in~ernal structure of animals and learn how to dissect toe.

6 . Zf Che teacher asks high-level questions when discussing social stuciies, fien 'che students will increase their verbal r e ~ s o ~ n g .

7 I . If me, teacher shows the students how to process or extrxt ail item like

red oil from palm nuts, then the students will go into industcy.

'The reacher should as much as possible try to practicalize his lessons; fc'c; such acts, as an impetus for quick learning and internalize what is iearct. The society at large should know that education is still the most monumental of all the problems confronting the contemporary society today. According to (A.N Wkte head, quoted in Okafor 1988) "In the condtions of modern life rhe rule 1s absolute, the race which does not value trained intelligencr, is dso~ned", This statement is very true and that is why every govzrnmen! should buckle- down her strength in educating her citizens. Okafor (1988) arther opirles that, it has become evident today that the wealth and powe: cif a calioil depznds on

*the successful education of its citizens. Tne educalion of ale NgXj; Lt&iiicd men and women within the national compass will among other factors sdve b e developmental problems facing modern nations and usher in an .wen or strike a bal&ce in the national development.

However, all said and done, in the educational enicrprise, care must be taken that the aims of education are pr~perly articulated mi the means for the attainment of the objectives are adequately spelt out.

m k wmal cievelspntenrt 05 every individual s ~ d the atrainmerlt. cf setf- 1.' aavdiwtion are h@!y Inflrrexx! by the titkr human-kings in W I home i& tho sociery at kg. ahc b~ !kt= %hm; .W? ere k t : ~

institutions and em4ronm.ent where gxe cN1d develops his pknr',zkjrzs a ~ d build .Ms prsona!ity. Expsrience has shown h a t the: succas of ~riost schoc.1 ::ttMren is Lkir wiliingness :o co-op,m!e wi& ;ic Imne ax! G'te ocho:;l norms.

S o ~ e researchers 3ave i! l h . e studeats whc dc well ir: scbrvd work, a;..: ofier! h y a i and obedient at- home, and xyaii:; Im!-Me m i ? &:cit? t . 6 ~ !.i:.'lr;lr!

ac:ivities. From the on going discussion, ir is cqxtal clex ;hat the inflccxc 6;. :he

home on :he academic performance of school chiidisa is c?f Fararnr'lirnt imprLancc '3:e home, :he school and the si?ckij, at iz-gire hz\e a \;mi in!^ to

play on the ciiucation of the youngste:. six^ ediic:iio~l .!F ;hc chiid, hcgiils from the home, parents should 2s much as possibl;. pio~:ic'ic their chiidxn :t

he:ilt-hy home environrner~t conducive for cdxatlonaI pcrsuit. 3:ey st!ou?i_i enric? the horn& environment with educational Pkciiities to activa;:~ Ihc;m irr their !earning processes. The school through the reachers :ihuuld c:o-ordinatc the children's home experiences and the school experiences to projuce "nca human-beings". Thc teacher should be a n idcai lype whorl? the stucicnts arc, Lo model after.

As the child has the right 'to benefit 'from the home and s c t r o ~ l environment, for his inf.eI:ectw!, sociel, psychological and physiszl development. Since the child, has the right to be educated by his home and the , society at large. The cMld owes his horn, ihe school and the society at lage, some duties and obligations, which will be the fruit of, the educational encounter.

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