INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AND READING INTEREST OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IKOT EKPENE SENATORIAL DISTRICT OF AKWA IBOM STATE

CHAPTER ONE

 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

According to Ekpo (1995), for effective learning to take place, the teacher must first of all arouse the interest of the  learners in the subject  he intends to teach .Such tendency is motivation. Motivation of students interest must always precede teaching since this arousal will prepare the minds for attending to what is to be taught. In the teaching of social studies at secondary school level, a student should be motivated by the teacher through instructional materials and other motivational variables.  Lucas (1990) maintained that passivity dampens students motivation and curiosity. The source also opined that students learn by doing, making, designing, creating and solving problems.

Tracy (2000) defined  motivation as all those inner striving conditions, described as wishes, desires, urges that stimulate the interest of a person in an activity. It is therefore an inner state that stimulates and triggers behaviour. The relative incidence of specific behaviour such as teaching and learning, discipline and control in schools could be undermined if teachers and students are not motivated. Tolman (1998) referred to it as an intervening variable, whileKelinger, (1999) identified it as an internal and psychological process that were not directly observable but which is an accounted for behaviour. According to Cole (2000), motivation  is a term used to describe those processes, both initiative and rational by which people seek to satisfy the basic drives, perceived needs and personal goals, which trigger off human behaviour.

Rezabek ( 1995) found a significant correlation between intrinsic academic motivation and academic performance,Wigfieldand Guthrine(1997) in  their research revealed that children with higher intrinsic motivation  read more and with more breathe than students with lower intrinsic motivation. Lepper  (1990) observed that when intrinsically motivated,  students tend to employ more efforts and that enable them to process information more deeply. Present researches on students motivation  have been centered on  the classroom where majority of learning takes place and where students are more likely to acquire a strong motivation to gain new knowledge. Making the classroom a place that naturally motivates students  to learn is much easier when students and teachers function in an atmosphere where academic success and motivation  to learn are expected and rewarded.

Teachers can influence students level of motivation by shaping the school instructional climate,which in turn shapes the attitude of teachers, parents and the community at large towards education.Classroom climate is important,Brophy (1996) stressed that what takes place in  the classroom is critical but classroom is not an island. Therefore, to support motivation to learn, school level policies and practices should stress learning, task mastery, and effort rather than relative performance and competition.

The National Policy on Education  in Nigeria emphasizes that our children should be properly taught to acquire skills and competencies that would enable them function well and solve problems in the society (FRN 2004). The accomplishment and realization of these important educational goals in Nigeria lie in the new trend in educational approaches. To this end, different ways of teaching and learning have emerged. Emphasis tends to shift from teacher-centered to student centered educational approach. These new approaches to learning and instruction expose the students to conceptualize and effectively manage their own  learning and thus reinforce their learning and transfer their training in practical situations.

Motivation in  education  can have several effects on how students learn and their behavior towards subject matter. Ormond (2003)opined that motivation of students in learning process can direct behavior towards particular goals and lead to increase effort and better academic performance. But without an empirical evaluation of the impact of motivational variables on students’ academic performance there exists little basis for improving anyprogramme curriculum. Teachers would have great reluctance to change the status quo of their teaching approach without adequate proof of need. Hence, the need to investigate motivational variables (teachers’ evaluation practice, career aspiration, student – teacher relationship and teachers’ lesson presentation) vis – a- vis secondary school students academic performance in social studies.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The mere articulation of the importance of social studies  in the educational system does not of itself ensure the achievement of the purpose. Without knowledge of how students motivation contributes to their teaching – learning processvis- a –vis their academic performance, the educational process  of curriculum implementation may be misdirected or incomplete.

The need to investigate how students academic performance in social studies may be differentiated by motivational variables become pertinent since it is a common knowledge that students performance in the subject still remains low at the junior secondary certificate examination level. Many factors could be attributed to the poor state of students’academic  performance in Nigerian junior secondary classes. Such factors may  be traced to school, the home and the students motivational variables.Students have many responsibilities with regard to their learning. Students who make the effort required to succeed in school and  whoare able to apply themselves often discover that there is a direct relationship between the effort and their achievement and will therefore be more motivated to work.

It has been established that motivation plays important role in students academic achievement. The task of this research study therefore was to  investigate the role of motivational variables typified by teachers evaluation practice, career aspiration of students, student-teacher relationships and teachers’ lesson  presentation in the secondary school students’ academic performance in social studies.

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