The Importance of Learning Materials in the Learning Process
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The chapter presents the background information, statement of the problem, study purpose, objectives, and hypotheses to be tested, scope and lastly the significance of the study regarding the impact of using instructional materials in enhancing student’s performance in sciences within selected secondary schools in Luwero District.
1.1 Background to the study
In secondary schools and other educational institutions worldwide successful teaching and learning is measured by academic performance. Academic performance refers to how well a student meets standards set out by education ministry and the institution itself.
Academic performance is as a result of psychological, socio-economic and environmental factors (Syed & Raza, 2006). It relates to a number of interacting factors among which is ethnicity, gender, age, learning abilities, learning support, motivation of learning and achievement as reflected by Patricia et al, (2006) and is very much dependent on the type and location of the institution as well as the socio-economic background (Yvonne & Kola, 2001).
In Uganda following the launching of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in accordance with the government White Paper on Education to provide ‘free’ education to a maximum of four children from each family which later changed to all children of school-going age (Opolot-Okurut, 2002), the student’s academic performance began to be compromised due to a high number of students joining secondary as a result of pupil enrolment figures increases from nearly 2.5 million in 1996 to nearly 6.8 million in 2000 (Ministry of Education and Sports, 2001). This increase was mainly due to the backlog of school age children who had not been accessing school and were now being able to do as noted by Aguti (2002). In order to enable eligible primary school graduates enrol in tuition free secondary and vocational training institutions, Uganda extended the Universal Primary Education programme by
INTRODUCTION
The chapter presents the background information, statement of the problem, study purpose, objectives, and hypotheses to be tested, scope and lastly the significance of the study regarding the impact of using instructional materials in enhancing student’s performance in sciences within selected secondary schools in Luwero District.
1.1 Background to the study
In secondary schools and other educational institutions worldwide successful teaching and learning is measured by academic performance. Academic performance refers to how well a student meets standards set out by education ministry and the institution itself.
Academic performance is as a result of psychological, socio-economic and environmental factors (Syed & Raza, 2006). It relates to a number of interacting factors among which is ethnicity, gender, age, learning abilities, learning support, motivation of learning and achievement as reflected by Patricia et al, (2006) and is very much dependent on the type and location of the institution as well as the socio-economic background (Yvonne & Kola, 2001).
In Uganda following the launching of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in accordance with the government White Paper on Education to provide ‘free’ education to a maximum of four children from each family which later changed to all children of school-going age (Opolot-Okurut, 2002), the student’s academic performance began to be compromised due to a high number of students joining secondary as a result of pupil enrolment figures increases from nearly 2.5 million in 1996 to nearly 6.8 million in 2000 (Ministry of Education and Sports, 2001). This increase was mainly due to the backlog of school age children who had not been accessing school and were now being able to do as noted by Aguti (2002). In order to enable eligible primary school graduates enrol in tuition free secondary and vocational training institutions, Uganda extended the Universal Primary Education programme by