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FACTORS AFFECTING THE PERFORMANCE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL (A CASESTUDY OF ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Nigeria has realized the importance of functional education for the good and services of mankind. This realization is evidenced in the National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004). Where it is emphasized that, the overall philosophy of education in Nigeria among others should be directed to building a united, strong and self reliant nation by educational activities being geared towards scientific and technological progress. In the developing world, educational policy are faced with a major task, how to create chances of success for all children and their citizenry as a whole.  It is essential to overcome the problem of illiteracy, school failure and to improve the intellectual capacities of the students. Education is the process of teaching, training and learning especially in school or colleges to improve knowledge and develop skills.

Paulson-Ellis and White Church in (Eze 2002) stated that education is the imparting and acquisition of knowledge designed to develop a broad range of abilities, knowledge and skills of general application. Education is concomitant with life, this is because there is education in virtually all facets of life, this is because there is education in virtually all facets of life, one continues to learn as long as he lives.

Okeke (2004:3) opined that, “available literature on development of education attest to the fact that education has been influenced by great thinkers, computer illiterate, law, forms of government, modes of social life. A renowned Nigerian educationist and one time minister of education, Prof. A. Babs Fafunwa defined education as “an aggregate of all the process by means of which a person develops abilities, attitudes and other forms of behaviour of positive value in the society in which he lives”. Fafunwa reversed (2004:3).

The world is fast becoming a global village due to the inter connectivity that exist between countries, organizations government and other bodied as a result of development in information and communication technology (ICT). According to Olagunfu (2003), information technology is the integration of computer technology mainly in the form of internet and information management. It provides opportunities for the users to handle texts and images, numbers and graphs, sound and music as well as enable them process information in the following ways: Storage and analyzing; presenting and organization retrieving communication. In other worlds, access to information and communication is increased through computer basic technologies. A network of interconnectivity is known as the internet. World Bank (2007) stated that the internet is a powerful tool for improving the efficiency and quality of a wide range of public services especially education and health. The internet is a resource where teachers and students can access outstanding and current education-related books, journals, magazines international conferences, workshops, invitations as well as information on research focus and research grants. Computer-mediate communication is increasing and becoming common usage for people for all walks of life in the developed and developing countries. Computer is any devices that is capable of accepting, storing and processing data and giving result out in form of information in a specified format. Akukwe, (2003) defined it as an electronic device that is capable of accepting, storing and processing data as well outputting the result by following a set of instructions called a program as well as an electro-mechanical information.

French (1992), defined computer science as the application of scientific principles in designing, constructing and maintaining the computer system. The scientific study of the theory and practice of data and information, processing and knowledge of computer puts and its functions is referred to as computer science because computer are not only for storage device ad processing unit, but also helps student in excellent communication media. They are the means to access the internet and also an effective audio visual media. Computer can be used to access a vast knowledge based on research for information over the internet means of documenting the backbone management software that are part of computer system which helps the student as a means of managing large amount of data.  In most junior secondary schools, student fail computer science very wells it has been noticed that a large proportion of students fail computer science in their internal and external examinations and as a result, they hardly attain the acceptable level of good performance in their results. It has been claimed that the stumbling blocks has always been their inability to master and pass computer. Unlike other courses because of the internet difficulties associated with the learning of the subject. Computer science is now being explored at all field of life because the computer knowledge in universal and varied. In the fields of research, engineering, business, medicine, communication, weather forecasting, education, finance art, healthcare-delivery and indeed most areas of human activities. The computer is an indispensable tool. The knowledge of the computer and the ability to use the computer has become so important and widespread that it has come to be an integral fact of education and literacy. Yet computer science education and literacy are lacking among many of our young boys and girls, as well as men and women today.

Computer science seems to be difficult to the secondary school students who are not very familiar with computer or who have never used it or even seen it.  Some students who have even seen the computer have a narrow or even wrong notion of what it is, or what it can do. It is therefore very necessary to teach and educate our young boys and girls on computer science especially in our secondary schools. To prepare the young ones for the new demands of modern technological world there is need to improve computer science knowledge, applications and skills of the students. Many factors seem to being attributed to be part of the problems that students encounter in the learning computer science. These according to Okorie (2000) emphasized that, student lack interest in learning computer science simply because the tools or equipment use in teaching student are not provided and these includes:

a)                  Lack of qualified teacher

b)                 Poor learning environment among others etc.

Based on the above premises, the researchers were therefore spurred into finding out the factors that affect students’ performance in learning of computer science in the Junior Secondary Schools in Enugu North Local Government Area.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

For some years now, certain factors have been affecting the performances of computer science education students in junior secondary schools. Njoku (1999) highlighted that non provision of the necessary infrastructure to secondary school student have become a setback towards effective teaching and learning. Ukeje (1996) buttressed the argument by saying that schools are in short supply of classroom teaching resources and also practically everything connected to the teaching and learning and these among other things are contributing factors to student’s poor performance in junior secondary school subjects.

Effects have been made to bring positive results from the teaching and learning of computer education in Junior Secondary Schools but effective learning has not been achieved. This is also another factor why the teaching of computer science is still concentrated at junior secondary schools in all the secondary schools in Enugu North Local Government Area. The society have seen the importance of computer education in resent times and efforts are being made to see what could be done to remove all the factors that affect the students performances almost in all Nigerian  Secondary Schools, so that technological achievement and advancement aspired by many nations can be achieved in Nigeria.  It is therefore necessary to ascertain those factors that affect the performances of computer science students in Junior Secondary Schools in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study are:

1)         To find out if there are shortage of qualified teachers in Junior Secondary Schools in Enugu North Local Government Area.

2)         To find out if there are adequate provision of instructional materials and computer laboratories facilities.

3)         To ascertain the teaching methods used in teaching the students.

4)         To know if refresher courses are organized for teachers.

1.4 Research Questions:

1. Are there shortage of qualified teachers for the teaching of Computer Science in Junior Secondary Schools in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State?

2. Does inadequate provision of instructional materials and computer laboratories facilities affect the learning of Computer Science in Junior Secondary Schools in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State?

3. What methods affect the teaching and learning of Computer Science in Junior Secondary Schools in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State?

4.   Does government organize refresher courses for teachers of computer science?

 1.5 Significance of the Study

The importance of the study, this if effectively carried out will be beneficial to the students, the teachers, the school authorities, and the government. The result of the study would help the students to discover how they contributed towards the factors that affect their performances and it would help them to change from the obnoxious ways of behaviour that affect computer science education adversely.

The result of the study would help the teachers to know the areas they need extra effort for maintaining effective teaching and learning of computer science and improve such situations.

The school authorities from the result of the study will know those areas that contribute to ineffective teaching and learning of computer science education and would work towards improving the situation.

The result of the study will help the government to know the factors affecting the students’ performances in secondary schools in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State. Such knowledge would help the government in the provision of infrastructures and instructional materials to improve the teaching and learning of computer science.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to identifying the problems or factors affecting the performances of Computer Science Student in Junior Secondary Schools in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State.