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Early Childhood School Teachers’ Perceptions In The Utilization Of Multimedia Gadget In The Teaching And Learning

CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background to the Study 

Teaching and learning process revolve within teachers, learners and the knowledge. Therefore, these key players have to be considered for effective teaching and learning process.  Education brings awareness and this is all the more so for an authentic practicing teachers. The odium of bringing this awareness lies on the shoulders of teachers of early childhood teachers. The focus of teachers has been on acquisition of knowledge but researchers have proved that the principles, methods, and content in such pedagogy and curricula in education can be enhanced by integrating technology to provide excelling means of reaching learners. Majed (2018) opined that teachers should use ICT because of the potential to enrich learners’ thinking skills and there is a far-reaching impact when technology is used instruction.  

Commenting on the usefulness of media, Jusoh and Jusoff (2009) opined that multimedia has the ability to capture the attention of the learner because it addresses a variety of learning style. Today’s students expect to use digital media devices in their daily lives, so these devices, or similar media technology, should be woven seamlessly into the Islamic studies classroom experiences”  

Beyond doubt, technology has helped in the development of positive thinking, particularly, the ability to innovate and to trigger the drive for self-improvement. Therefore, early childhood teachers need to be expert in the field of technology in order to assimilate good values in its use for teaching purposes. In essence, multimedia devices can be valuable tools when they are integrated into children curriculum appropriately to achieve the teaching-learning objectives, particularly when they are combined with a twenty-first-century curriculum. 

It is very essential that learning in early childhood education is presented in an interesting and coherent form so that children are motivated to be able to follow all activities with enthusiasm and motivation in digging their knowledge. According to Choiriyah (2018) in learning activities, it cannot be denied that the methods and learning media have very important roles to achieve optimization of learning outcomes for early childhood. The interest of the child as a learner should be the focus of the educators or facilitators, such as how is the child’s learning style, what is his/her hobby and current trends, etc., it must be observed by an educator.

The digital revolution has resulted in one unintended consequence. These days’ students are much more media-centric than previous generations. According to Dellyetal, (2006) in Jusoh and Jusoff (2009)“many scholars believe that the brain of today's youth have actually become rewired to accommodate the thousands of hours they spend in front of computer screens watching and creating video,  listening to music, and playing computer games”. 

According to Jusoh and Jusoff (2009) Understanding today’s digital kids and how they learn has profound implications not only for how teachers teach digital students, but also, and perhaps more importantly, for how teachers reach them” therefore, teachers did not have option rather than motivating these digital students by tapping into their digital world and using their natural inclination and inquisitiveness about all that is digital. The choice is in teachers’ hands, perhaps they want to continuously grab students’ attention, make them happy to learn and create an exciting learning environment, we need to follow the current and not against it.

Thus, the aim of study is to examine early childhood school teachers’ perceptions in the utilization of multimedia gadget in the teaching and learning in Oyo East local government area of Oyo state. 

1.2    Statement of the Problem

During the last century, there have been critiques targeted at methodology related  to teaching and learning in pre-primary and primary schools, in particular towards the failure to effectively respond to the challenges brought by contemporary needs in this modern world. However, in recent time, students have been accommodating a lot of hours in front of computer screens watching and creating video, listening to music, and playing computer. Therefore, there is a real need for early childhood teachers to re-vamp their methodology and approach in teaching and learning process in order to ensure the continuous relevance and as a response to the demands exerted by the globalization and presented by the modernity. 

It is so pathetic that some teachers keep proudly with the glory of the past civilization and keep stagnancy on the traditional methods (drilling and route memorization) in teaching these digital students the way they (teachers) were taught, and they expect better outcome. It is only by the way of following or exploring the new trends in modern world that early childhood teachers can make the past civilization progress because most of those videos and music these learners love watching and listening to outside the school system, they have acclimatized to them. Thus, this study aim at examining early childhood teachers of this twenty first century if they recognize their students as tech-savvy students and ready explore new trends which among is utilization multimedia gadgets in teaching-learning process.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study is to assess the perception of early childhood teachers’ perceptions in the utilization of multimedia gadget in the teaching and learning. Extensively, the following objectives are drawn to achieve the main purpose: 

• To examine the available multimedia gadgets that can be utilized in early childhood teaching and learning process.

• To evaluates the relevance of multimedia gadgets in teaching and learning in early childhood classroom.

• To vindicate the challenge hindering the utilization of multimedia gadgets in early childhood teaching and learning process.

1.4     Research Questions

The following research questions were raised and answered in the study:

 What are the available multimedia gadgets that can be utilized in early childhood teaching and learning process?

 What are the relevance of multimedia gadgets in teaching and learning in early childhood classroom? 

 What are the challenges of multimedia gadgets utilization in early childhood teaching and learning process?

1.5 The Significance of Study

It is anticipated that the finding of this research work would have impact on the following groups:-government, school administrators, educational planners and teachers. It is hoped that the finding of the study would revealed that the world is becoming a global village with varieties of multimedia has become facilities for teaching-learning.

The research findings will be useful for early childhood curriculum development planners as it will make them appreciate the need to make necessary adjustments, especially on incorporation of full and comprehensive use of multimedia gadgets to the curriculum in nursery schools. The outcomes of this study also suggest the need for the government to provide necessary multimedia gadgets, as well, suggest ways of utilizing multimedia gadgets to enhance teaching-learning of children in nursery schools.

It is expected that findings from this study would acquaint the prospective and the existing early childhood caregivers, educators, teachers and managers in the field with the benefit of including multimedia gadgets in their teaching to help them with the means for extending their horizon of experience as well providing them with rich sources of procuring communicative materials. It is hoped that when multimedia devices is  properly used in teaching and learning situations, it can accomplish a lot of complex tasks and offers real experiences in giving students basis for reflection and understanding, as well, stimulate them to learn in classroom. Also, it is expected that the findings of this study would acquaint the textbooks writers the need to include pictures and animations in their books to simplify and emphasize facts and clarify difficulties.

1.6 Scope of the study

The study is exclusively focused on early childhood school teachers’ perceptions in the utilization of multimedia gadget in the teaching and learning in Oyo East local government area of Oyo state. The research will be restricted to only all available early childhood teachers and caregivers in nursery schools in the stated local government.

1.7 Operational Definitions of Terms

Multimedia Gadgets: It is the combination of various digital` media, into an integrated multi-sensory interactive utilization or presentation to convey information to an audience; by implication, it is  combination of devices used by the teacher in classroom to supplement the transmission of knowledge with a view to emphasizing clarification of instructions and stimulating learners’ interest.

Audio-Aids: These are multimedia devices that appeals only to the sense of hearing e.g radio, cassette recorder.

Visual Aids:  These are multimedia devices that appeals only to the sense of sight e.g film, chart, pictures, maps, etc.

Audio-Visual Aids: This is a term derived out of audio and visual, to indicate a variety of communication materials used to send out message, ideas and experiences through the active participation of sense organs of both sight and hearing e.g television, video tapes, DVD player, computer, tablet, android phone etc.

CHAPTER TWO 

2.0 Review of the Related Literature

This chapter presents the review related literature basis in order to set current study into a new perspective and join ongoing discourse and empirical study. Thus, this chapter focused on the review of the following:

2.1 Theoretical Framework

Previously, Davis, Bagozzi and Warshew (1989) developed a theory of ‘action relating to reason’ so called Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Later based on their work, Ventakesh and Davis (2000) investigated the reasons some people use computers and their attitudes towards them that called TAM 2. They tested this model with 107 adults users, who had been using a managerial system for week. They found that people’s computer use was predicted by their intentions to the computer and perceived usefulness was also strongly linked to these intentions. 

According to Venkatesh and Davis (2000) when teachers are presented with a new technology two key factors would influence their decision from the extended variables around them about how and when they will use it: 

External Variables – It represents the challenges that teachers face that come from outside their sphere of control when integrating a technology in their teaching and learning process. These challenges include: 

• Limited accessibility and network connection 

• Schools with limited ICT facilities  

• Lack of effective training  

• Limited time  

• Lack of teachers’ competency

Perceived usefulness (PU) – It represents the degree to which they believe that using a particular technology would enhance their job performance. If teachers feel there is no need to question or change their professional practice then, according to studies, they are unlikely to adopt the use of ICT tools. However, if they perceive ICT to be useful to them in their teaching and their pupils’ learning, then it is more likely to have a positive attitude to using ICT in the classroom. The following factors have been identified as key element to teachers’ perceived usefulness of ICT tools: Work more quickly, Job performance, Increased productivity, Effectiveness, Useful

Perceived ease‐of‐use (PEOU) – It represents the degree to which they will believe that using a particular system would be free from effort. These are: Easy to learn, Clear and understandable, Easy to use, Controllable, Easy to remember 

Attitude toward use – teacher’s positive or negative feeling about performing the target behavior (e.g., using a system). Basically, on teachers’ attitudes, too many of these factors will depend upon how easy they perceive using ICT tools to be on a personal level as well as for teaching in the classroom.

Behavioral intention ‐ the degree to which the teacher has formulated conscious plan to perform or not perform some specified future behavior. 

Social Influence Processes – they are (subjective norm, voluntariness and image) and cognitive instrumental processes (job relevance, output quality, result demonstrability, and perceived ease of use) as determinants of perceived usefulness and usage intentions. 

Basically, the updated version of TAM2 consists of additional determinants that are social influence process and cognitive instrumental process of perceived usefulness and usage intentions.

2.2 Teaching and Learning Process in Early childhood

As an educator, teachers should always try to make knowledge, attitudes, and skills on an ongoing basis as an effort to improve professional skills. Teacher's job in the field of profession requires special skills as a teacher that not everyone can do. To be a teacher requires a condition that really must master the ins and outs in the field of education and various other sciences. The role of teachers in the world of early childhood education is more as a mentor or facilitator and not just as transferors of knowledge because science cannot be transferred from teacher to child without activeness from the child itself (Sujiono, 2009). 

In the learning process, an emphasis is placed on the teacher's thinking in understanding how children think, developing and appreciating children's experiences, presenting materials according to child development and using varied methods in learning to enable children to be active in building their own knowledge. 

The task of educators is essentially closely related to the competence of educators. To be able to perform duties as an educator well, educators should have mastered competence as an educator. Through the development of professional competence of educators, teachers continue to develop their skills in accordance with the times. One of them by utilizing multimedia gadgets as medium in learning; by using multimedia gadgets, teachers feel very happy and helped because. Because the media can be more interesting to learn the child, but also feel worried about using it because it can cause dependency effects if used excessively. As a competent person, a teacher must be able to perform his duties as an educator in relation to his obligation to provide services to the community and to develop and demonstrate educational behavior in the form of real behavior. Competence refers to the performance of a person in carrying out his work, to become an educator, especially early childhood educators, should have competencies that meet the criteria (Bersonand  Berson, 2010). 

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (2012) outlines the initial standards that educators should have, such as: 

a) Have an understanding of the development and children characteristics so as to create a conducive learning environment for children. 

b) Be able to build good relationships with family and society by understanding that the success of education is inseparable from the participation of family and society. 

c) Use appropriate judgment in assessing the learning and learning process.

 d)  Use an effective development approach appropriate to the age and characteristics of the child and be able to understand and understand the appropriate learning development approach. 

e) Able to design, implement and evaluate a meaningful curriculum so as to develop a comprehensive learning for each child. 

f)  Being a professional early childhood educator. 

g) For professional early childhood educators should always strive to improve self-ability on an ongoing basis. 

h)  Have experience in the world of early childhood education. 

Through the initial standards that must be owned, as a consequence teachers should be able to develop their abilities as much as possible continuously to become a professional early childhood educator as described previously. 

2.3 Multimedia Gadgets as a Concept   

Multimedia Gadgets are the fall into the categories of ICT; ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology. It is the combination of two terms i.e. Information Technology and Communication Technology.  “Information Technology is a scientific, technological and engineering discipline and management technique used in handing the information, its application and association with social, economic and cultural matters”. 

UNSECO, (2002) Communication Technology is the electronic system that facilitates communication between individuals and the groups, who are not physically present at the same location. For this purpose, multimedia gadgets such as Telephone, Telex, Fax, Radio, T.V., Smart phones, video and recent computerbased technologies including electronic data interchange and e-mail are used. In other words, multimedia gadgets are products of ICT; they can be used interchangeably in education setting with the soul aim of conveying messages, ideas, thoughts etc. Buttressing this point Prytherch (2000), observed “ICTs are networks that provide new opportunities for teaching, learning and training through delivery of digital content”.

Correlatively, Blurton, C. (2002), ICTs stand for information and communication technologies and are defined as a “diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.”ICT has a lot of things to offer to both teachers and students for the enhancement of their teaching and learning process respectively. 

Nowadays, ICT tools and approaches are being used widely due to their convenience, omnipresence, effectiveness and being economic. Some of these approaches, facilities and tools are CAI ( Computer Assisted Learning), CALA (Computer Assisted Language Assessment),  CALI ( Computer Assisted Language Instruction), CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning), MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning) , TELL (Technology Enhanced Language Learning), Blogs, Wiki, e-mail facility, Digital libraries, multimedia, mobile learning, free and open source software and social media, MOOCs, Virtual classrooms, documentaries, Digital storytelling, Mobile Applications, i-Pads, Digital Notebooks, Tablets, Smart Phones, Recorded audio- video materials, Online spoken tutorials, Digital pronunciation dictionaries etc. (Pun and Min. 2013). 

2.4 Multimedia gadgets in Early Childhood Teaching-Learning Process 

Teachingin pre-school with the aid of Multimedia gadgets is an amazing experience. The uses of Multimedia gadgets such as computers, computer software, learning videos, interactive power point and internet in early childhood learning education are very helpful to be introduced to children.  According to DyahRetno (2018) Multimedia gadgets can build interest, enthusiasm, and curiosity of children in learning something related to the theme of learning in an interesting way. In addition, using digital media such as video learning can be very useful when presenting material that cannot be reached or presented directly by the teacher in the learning, so that the teaching and learning process can take place effectively and efficiently by delivering real material though through digital media. 

Besides that, National Association of the Education for Young Children (2012) submitted that that the use of multimedia gadgets in learning needs to be given attention because they did not only provide a memorable and enjoyable learning experience but also shape the unlimited needs and abilities of children in accordance with the growth and development of children. 

The Benefits of Gadgets for Early Childhood “Gadget is an English term that defines a small electronic device with a variety of special functions (Osland, 2013). One of the factors that differentiate gadgets with other electronic devices is "novelty". This means that from on a day to day basis, gadgets always appear by presenting the latest technology that makes human life more practical. The benefits of gadgets in education as observed by Osland, (2013) include:

1) We can look for educative games, in the gadget there are also various kinds of educational games that can stimulate children’s brain, and this game pattern can be adjusted according to the children’s age. This is one of the learning media that will make children feel happy. When children learn only by using the book they will feel bored and saturated very easily. By using the media of learning that we apply through gadgets, it will minimalize boredom, because children do not realize that they are actually learning. 2) Learning technology response, with this all-sophisticated era of course we cannot stem the curiosity of children about various objects around them, one of which is their curiosity on gadgets. Adults must supervise children while they are playing with gadgets, and even make this gadget as a learning medium to support the learning process. 

3)We can find innovative educational information. This also will increase knowledge for children by finding the media that can give information and also material to satisfy the knowledge of children. As children learn to play the piano, children learn about volcanoes, learn handicrafts such as origami, kirigami, etc. This can also be a positive activity for mother and child. 

4) Training the brain function. Gadgets are useful for children because they have apps for eye and hand coordination. Children’s speed when they are learning to use the gadgets is very impressive. They learn to squeeze the keyboard, shifting the touch screen and pressing which particular button functions. In this case, the gadget is not merely seen as an item that is full of negative impacts on children's development, but the mindset about it can shift slightly that the gadget can also be used and has a variety of positive effects for children both in eyehand-brain coordination, and impact social emotional, depending on how this gadget is used in their lives. It should indeed be the use of gadgets in assisting adults and giving direction to children, so that the desired learning goals are achieved, namely the gadget is used as an alternative learning media in supporting learning processes. 

The advantages of using multimedia gadgets in learning as observed by DyahRetno (2018) include:

 a) The use of digital media in accordance with the development of the times, can reach the learning materials in a complex and practical. 

b) Learning can be presented attractively so as to foster interest and build the spirit of the child.

 c) Submission of learning material information can be presented in a real way without seeing directly the learned object such as about weather, climate, natural disaster, marine animals, wild animals, dances, and custom clothes that can be displayed through video. 

d) Make learning more effective and efficient if used wisely and tailored to the needs and characteristics of children. 

e) There is a lot of content that can be accessed for learning and can be tailored to the learning needs.

Furthermore, Kemp and Dayton as cited in Choiriyah(2018) the relevance of multimedia gadgets aredescribe as follows:

1. The delivery of learning materials can be uniformed 

2. The learning process becomes more clear and interesting 

3. The learning process becomes more interactive 

4. Efficiency in time and effort 5. Improve the quality of children’s learning outcomes  

6. Media allows the learning process to be done anywhere and anytime 

7. Media can foster positive attitude of children to the material and learning process 

8. Change the role of teachers to be more positive and productive 

In short, Learning with multimedia gadgets is clearly needed in optimizing the learning process both in the learning of early childhood, adolescents and adults, because with the use of learning media, the process of knowledge input becomes more meaningful especially for children, in the context of concrete preoperative and operational periods. Children will easily catch one learning material with something that impresses them, with supporting images and sounds. So that technology cannot be kept away from our daily lives because we use it in our daily lives, and in its application in the middle of learning at school 

2.5 Types of Learning Multimedia Gadgets  

There are many kinds of learning media gadgets ranging from the smallest and simple ones to the most sophisticated and expensive media. There are media that are available in the environment and the media must be prepared and designed to support maximum learning. Although learning media has many varieties, but teachers often only use the book as a medium of learning, so that children are bored with the learning process presented. Besides, there are many schools that have utilized the types of media images, OHP, VCD, etc., although they are still rarely used. For certain schools that have limited funds to provide media and learning resources, they can take advantage of gadgets as learning media that also have various functions. 

Anderson, as cited in Choiriyah (2018) classified the media into 10 groups as follows: 

Media Category  Examples in learning 

Audio  Audio cassettes, radio broadcasts, CDs, telephones 

Printed  Textbooks, modules, brochures, leaflets, pictures 

Audio-Printed Audio tapes with written materials 

Silent Visual Projection Overhead transparency (OHT), film frame (slides) 

Silent Visual Projection Movie frame with sounds 

Moving Visual Silent movie 

Moving Audio Visual  Moving audio visual, motion pictures with sounds,VCD,

DVD, television, laptop, Tablet, Gadget 

Physical Objects Real objects, model, specimen Humans and environment Teachers, librarian, laboratory officer 

Computer CAL (computer assisted learning) CBL (computer-based learning) 

In this case the Multimedia gadget can act as a learning medium to support the early childhood education program in schools that still have limitations in technology. And educators as gadget users are expected to be able to apply it in learning easily, among others in broadcasting audio-visual films, educative games applications, displaying various images and stories related to various themes that exist in school learning  

2.6 Challenges of Multimedia Gadgets Utilization in Schools  

In all the excitement around what technology can do for education, the frustrations of the teachers faced with using it often gets drowned out. Even educators who embrace the idea of using more technology with their pupils have found that it brings its share of challenges. And many of them feel powerless to address those challenges on their own. The most common challenges are:

2.6.1 Limited Accessibility to Multimedia Devices

Several research studies indicate that lack of access to resources is another complex challenge that prevents teachers from integrating new technologies into education. The challenges related to the accessibility of new technologies for teachers are widespread and differ from society to another. According to Becta (2004) in Teemu (2012) the inaccessibility of ICT resources is not always merely due to the non‐availability of the hardware and software has or other ICT materials within the school. It may be the result of one of a number of factors such as poor resource organization, poor quality hardware, inappropriate software, or lack of personal access for teachers.  Ozorehe (2008) stated that insufficient fund make it difficult for teachers to acquire learning materials. This is how the ambition of many teachers is being killed through lack of fund in many secondary schools.

2.6.2 Lack of Teachers’ Competency

Another challenge directly related to teacher confidence is teachers’ competence in integrating multimedia devices into pedagogical practice. Busari (2018)) revealed that the problems teachers have in improvisation of instructional materials relate mostly to their failure to give thought on what to construct, functionality and precision of the instructional materials, motivational and financial problems.

2.6.3 Limited Time

Several recent studies indicate that many teachers have competence and confidence in using computers in the classroom, but they still make little use of technologies because they lack the time. A significant number of researchers identified time limitations and the difficulty in scheduling enough computer time for classes as a barrier to teachers’ use of ICT in their teaching. Sicilia (2005) in Teemu (2012) the most common challenge reported by all the teachers was the lack of time they had to plan technology lessons, explore the different Internet sites, or look at various aspects of educational software.

2.6.4 School with Limited Technical Support

Without both good technical supports in the classroom and whole‐school resources, teachers cannot be expected to overcome the obstacles preventing them from using ICT (Lewis, 2003). Pelgrum (2001) in Teemu (2012) found that in the view of primary and secondary teachers, one of the top barriers to ICT use in education was lack of technical assistance. Also, Teemu (2012) stated that technical problems were found to be a major barrier for teachers. These technical barriers included waiting for websites to open, failing to connect to the Internet, printers not printing, malfunctioning computers, and teachers having to work on old computers. Technical barriers impeded the smooth delivery of the lesson or the natural flow of the classroom activity.

2.6.5 Lack of Effective Training

The challenge most frequently referred to in the literature is lack of effective training. Fundamentally, when there are new tools and approaches to teaching, teacher training is essential if they are to integrate these into their teaching. Inadequate or inappropriate training leads to teachers being neither sufficiently prepared nor sufficiently confident to carry out full integration of ICT in the classroom. Newhouse (2002) in Teemu (2012) stated that teachers need to not only be computer literate but they also need to develop skills in integrating computer use into their teaching/learning programes.

In view of the above challenges, measurable solutions lie on the government and school administrators. They can collaborate in providing sufficient fund to the schools; in-service and seminars for the teachers and proper management and supervision towards effective availability and utilization of multimedia gadgets in schools.

 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The increase in population in a school affects the class sizes, the performances of students become an issue.  Class size refers to the number of students in a given course or classroom, specifically either the number of students being taught by individual teachers in a course or classroom or the average number of students being taught by teachers in a school or educational system. The term may also be the number of students participating in learning experience. Class size is almost an administrative decision over which teachers have little or no control. Class size refers to an educational tool that can be used to describe the average number of students per class in a school (Adeyemi, 2008). 

There are large and small sizes in school. The smaller the class, the greater the likelihood is that a teacher will spend more time with individual pupils.  Large classes present more challenges for classroom management, pupil control, and marking, planning, and assessment. Teachers are put under more strain when faced with large classes. In smaller classes, it can be easier for teachers to spot problems and give feedback, identify specific needs and gear teaching to meet them, and set individual targets for pupils. Teachers also experience better relationships with, and have more knowledge of individual pupils.  

Ajayi and Adeosun (2014) opined that in order to control rising capital cost of education, the average class-size could be increased. These points were also supported by Toth and Montagna (2012) who reported that the increase in enrolment in many institutions which has become major concerns of students could definitely lead to an increase in class size. Commeyras (2015) however, disagreed with these arguments and reported that effective teaching seems impracticable for teacher educators having large class sizes of 50, 75, 100 or more. Nwadiani (2016) argued that the higher the class-size, the lower the cost of education. He contended however, that most classrooms are over-crowded spreading resources thinly and thereby affecting the quality of education. 

Richard (2014) opined ‘Literature classroom is different from other courses classroom. Consequently, the resources of Literature, which have the potentialities of enhancing effective language learning, are denied from the learners due to their populations. This practice, no doubt, could be said to have inhibited effective teaching and learning of Literature in English Language in our schools and colleges. No wonder a good number of Nigerian school students hardly express themselves sufficiently in English even after they had offered Literature and had a good grade in it.  

According to Awoyemi, (2017) ‘One of the pillars of a successful implementation of effective teaching and learning of Literature in English is determined by the class population as well as availability and adequate resources. This does not augur well for the training of high class manpower for the development of the schools in the society, and therefore, should be a source of worry to all well-meaning educators teaching Literature in English in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, particularly in Oyo town. The reason is that, teaching and learning of Literature in English tertiary institution is to produce and make more available the needed critical social knowledge, attitude and skills towards a just society. Here tertiary institution acts as the critic and conscience of society and must therefore maintain a quality control. In the light of the foregoing, the thrust of this study to examine the Class size and learning of Literature in English in selected tertiary institution in Oyo town.

1.2 Statement of the Problem 

Generally, the phenomenon of population in education is not only a negative situation for developing nations, but also for developed nations. Series of studies have been carried out on the impact of large class size in schools especially, higher institutions; there have been a number of class size reduction projects. Proclamation has been that small classes should be a cornerstone of educational policy. As it is been explicitly stated National Policy on Education, (2014) in Section 4 and in Section 5 respectively “For effective teaching and learning, the teacher-pupil ratio shall be 1:35; The teacher-pupil ratio at this level of Education shall be 1 :40. Nearly, 96% of education staffs feel that there should be a maximum number of students in classes”. They also pointed out that large class size does not only affect the quality of teaching and learning, but also affect their “stress levels”. Besides that, they emphasized that large class size makes it hard “to deal with behaviorioal problems” and “give individual support to those students on the register in large classes”. Hence, this does not augur well for the training of high class manpower for the development of the country, and therefore, should be a source of worry to all well-meaning educators of the universities in Nigeria. This study, therefore, sought to examine the impact of large class sizes on learning of Literature in English in selected tertiary institution in Oyo town.

1.3 The Purpose of the Study 

The purpose of this study is to provide views of lecturers and students on class size and its effects on teaching and learning of Literature in English in selected tertiary institution in Oyo Town. The study specifically sought to investigate the following objectives: 

(1) To identify the problems and challenges faced by lecturers and students in large classes; 

(2) To assess the effects of class size on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment; 

(3) To provide possible suggestions to overcome the problems and challenges of learning of Literature in English in Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo and Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo.  

1. 4 Research Questions 

The following questions were to guide this study. 

(1)  To what extent does class size affect the quality of teaching and students’ learning achievement in Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo and Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo? 

(2) What are the challenges students face in large class size on learning of Literature in English in Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, and Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo?

(3) How can the problem of class size be managed in learning of Literature in English in Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, and Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo? 

1.5 The Significance of the Study 

The study would provide important information for the tertiary institution authorities, policy-makers, researchers and other stakeholders of education in Oyo town and Nigeria at large. 

This is very useful feedback to curriculum planners to review the class population in teaching and learning process in schools. 

The study would provide feedback on the status of teaching and learning facilities such as, lecture rooms, public-address-system, and very conducive learning environment. The feedback may guide the Ministry to improve its resources allocation in schools aiming at improving the quality of education in schools. 

The study would provide feedback on the status of guidance and counselling as a component needed to support students’ growth through effective use of time, decision making and hence good performance among tertiary institution students.  

The study expects to bring useful insights on which to build, modify or improve the ways of teaching/learning in Nigeria context. The findings from this study would also add to the existing literature on university education in and beyond Nigeria. 

1.6  Scope and Delimitations of the Study 

The study is exclusively focused on Class size and learning of Literature in English in selected tertiary institution in Oyo Town. Thus, the study will be confined to tertiary institutions in Oyo town. However, every effort will be made to ensure that sampling used is adequate to collect information required for drawing conclusions. Lecturers and students will be preferred by the researcher as the main respondents because they are the directly involved in the concern study. 

1.7  Operational Definition of Terms 

Class size: It refers to the number of students in a given course or classroom, specifically either (1) the number of students being taught by individual teachers in a course or classroom 

Learning: This is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught.

Literature in English: It refers to the study of texts from around the world, written in the English language. Generally, literature refers to different types of text including novels, non-fiction, poetry, and plays, among other forms.

Performance:  It refers to an activity that a person or group does that can be rated or comment on.

Quality: It refers to characteristics that someone or something has, which can be noticed as a part of person or thing. 

CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0  Introduction

This chapter presents the review of existing conceptual basis in order to set current study into a new perspective and join ongoing discourse and empirical study. The chapter focus on the review of the following:

• Concept of Large Class 

• Class Size Influence on other Factors that Affect Student Academic              Performance

• Concept and Functions of Literature in English

• Class Size Challenges and Its Implication on Teaching and Learning

• Implication of Large Class on the Interaction in Classroom 

• Remedies to Large Class Size in Literature in English Class    

2.1 Concept of Large Class 

Class size refers to the number of students in a given course or classroom, specifically either the number of students being taught by individual teachers in a course or classroom or the average number of students being taught by teachers in a school or educational system. The term may also be the number of students participating in learning experience. Class size is almost an administrative decision over which teachers have little or no control Ayeni and Olowe (2016). Class size refers to an educational tool that can be used to describe the average number of students per class in a school (Adeyemi, 2008). There are large and small sizes in school. The smaller the class, the greater the likelihood is that a teacher will spend more time with individual pupils. 

In light of rapidly increasing enrolment in many HEI’s across the nation, administrators are under fire concerning the issue of growing class size and the potential diminishing of academic standards. Van Allen (2016) asserts that the “quantitative product”, monetary gains afforded by increased enrolment far outweigh the “qualitative product” of well-educated and knowledgeable graduates. This view point shows that there are returns to investing in smaller classes for certain students and it provides some evidence on why past literature has produced such inconsistent findings on the impact of class size. According to Leah (2011) there are research evidence to demonstrate that there are consequences of reducing class size on student achievement and it synthesizes, indeed, class size is strongly related to student achievement; smaller classes are more conducive to improved pupil performance than larger classes; smaller classes provide more opportunities to adapt learning programs to individual needs; pupils in smaller classes have more interest in learning; and teacher morale in smaller classes is better. The opinion indicates that smaller classes have more positive consequences than larger ones, no matter how small. While reduced class size may improve school tone and morale, it is not an adequate policy alone for significantly accelerating student achievement. 

However, issue of population in class of learning did not limit to general courses but cut across Literature in English. It tends to be controversial if for no other reason than that it tends to defy common sense, conventional wisdom and highly publicised accounts of the scientific evidence. According to Education Week report (2015) Thirty-six states in the Nigeria have adopted provisions to require class size reduction. These laws may set caps on individual class sizes, on school-wide student-teacher ratio, or class size averages in one or more grades. Several states have relaxed those requirements since 2008. Florida’s class size cap was established over the course of several years, in response to a state wide referendum in 2002 that amended its state constitution. State wide, class size averages are 15.46 students per class in grades pre-primary 1-3, 17.75 in grades 4-8, and 19.01 in high school. Some states regulate class size as well, include class size caps in their contracts with teachers unions (Setting Class Size Limits. Education Week Retrieved 22nd December 2020).

  Unfortunately, in-order to support calls for class population reduction in Literature in English Class, there has been a tendency to pick and choose from the available studies and evidence. It is therefore useful to review the existing evidence and to reconcile the varying conceptions of what might be expected, gained or lost from class population reduction or increase. Therefore, in this chapter, topic like: Concept and Functions of Literature, Population Challenges and Its Implication on Teaching and Learning as well, Remedy to Population Management in Literature in English Class are considered to be reviewed. 

2.2 Class Size Influence on other Factors that Affect Student Academic Performance 

Lockheed and Verspoor (2000) submitted that most public school lack adequate infrastructure and educational facilities. For instance, reading and learning materials are mostly hardly available, especially in the rural areas. Also the size of each class forms a critical determinant of student’s academic improvement and performance. Ademolekun (2001) among her list of teachers that affect achievements of students school included, high student to low teacher ratio and she blamed it on the fast growing rate of school in recent years, leading to a situation where a teacher has to control a class of sixty students even without basic infrastructural facilities like furniture, good conducive environment and classroom. 

Krah (2004), in his study of ideal class size found that class size above tony students have negative effect on student academic achievement. This is because of the possible differences in interest and abilities of pupils, particularly m commanding attention in class. Young (2009) observed that poor attendance and unprofessional attitude towards student by the teachers affect the performance of the student academically. In addition,, general factors have been identified as hampering academic work and students performance in public school. 

Moreover, the environmental condition of a school has a great influence on the performance of students. The school buildings when: learning takes place should be conducive to learning. According to Olutade (2002), classroom that is well built and ventilated with suitable furniture and far away from noise have effect on the students educational progress. The school building consists of corridors, the class, the staff common rooms and headmaster or head teacher room. Though the school may find it difficult to satisfy all these conditions when planning and designing a school, the fulfillment of a combination of these conditions will determine the rate at which the stated objectives of any educational institution are met. 

Furthermore, as regards issue of classroom management, Hadead (2003) observed that classrooms are of uniform and rectangular shapes. the environment within the classroom must be enriched to stimulate and facilitate the child‘s cognitive development. Olutade (2002), submitted that proper school environment is as important as the home visit to many school today will make one to be really sad. Many school environment and classroom blocks are bad, ditty and without aesthetic value. The classroom is overcrowded because in time past they were meant to serve between 25-30 students but now over 50 students occupy each of the classrooms. Classroom design is the most important aspect of the school building construction. The classroom environment must be comfortable and conducive teaching and learning process of the students

2.3 Concept and Functions of Literature in English

The term “literature” is used basically in two different senses. First, it is used to refer to any written material on a subject. Second, it is a term used to refer to one of the school subjects studied by students or a university discipline; and it is this second sense that applies to us in this context. As a subject or discipline, Literature has been variously defined by different scholars. According to Onuekwusi (2013), “Literature is any imaginative and beautiful creation in words whether oral or written, which explores man as he struggles to survive in his existential position and which provides entertainment, information, education and excitement to its audience”. Although the definition of Literature by Onuekwusi succinctly attempts to capture the essence of literature, it is pertinent to point out that not all literature is imaginative. 

As a matter of fact, some literary works are factual, and it is based on this understanding that the prose genre is classified into two, namely fiction and non-fiction. A good example of a popular non-fictional literary work is things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. But be that as it may, the basic element in Literature that is indispensable that can be deduced from the definition under reference is the fact that Literature, no matter the type or genre, is written in words. This is to say that language is the basic raw material with which literature is manufactured. It is based on this view that it is usually said that “Literature is language in practice”. That is to say that language theories, concepts and styles are put into function in the creation of literary texts. Therefore, if one must interpret and analysis a literary text, one must be competent in the language of the text and conversely if one must be competent in language, one should be sufficiently exposed to the literature of the language in question. 

As a course of study in school, there are some significant functions Literature performs. Put differently, the whole essence of developing Literature as a course of study in school for the students to derive some benefits. Ayo (2003) describes the benefits as the general utilities of Literature. According to him, “the utilities of Literature could be educational, cultural, moral, recreational and socio-political. Literature helps to develop the learner’s linguistic performance because it arouses their zeal and keeps in them an ever-ready inclination to read. 

Moreover, it helps the learners to develop fluency and the ability to comprehend what is read”. Collie and Slater as cited in Richard (2014) support the inclusion of Literature in the language classroom because it provides valuable authentic material, develops personal involvement and help contribute to readers’ cultural as well as language enrichment. Still on the utilities of Literature, Lazar in Richard (2014) provides five reasons for using literature in ELT to include: 

1) Motivating materials 

2) Encouraging language acquisition 

3) Expanding students’ language awareness 

4) Developing students’ interpretative abilities 

5) Educating the whole person. 

Adding his voice to the utilities of Literature as a school subject, Unoh as cited in Ogunnaike (2002) posits that a good literature can be an important aid to cultural assimilation or acculturation; language development and competence; conflict resolution; emotional development and stability; development of positive and good-oriented attitudes to life; a good liberal education, entertainment, relaxation and the sharing of vicarious experiences of positive value; the development of desired and desirable moral or other attributes; and as a consequence of all these, a stable and mature personality.  

2.4 Class Size Challenges and Its Implication on Teaching and Learning

According to Trow in Leah (2011), post-secondary education has expanded since World War Two in virtually every country in the world. The growth of post-secondary education has, in proportional terms, been more dramatic than that of primary and secondary education. Buttressing the view Leah (2011) speaks of the transition from elite to mass and then to universal higher education in the industrialized nations. Teaching and learning are causally tightly bound activities. This is because teaching, which entails an intimate interaction between teachers and students, leads to learning. In a school system, the level of student performance is to a great extent influenced by the level of interaction between the teacher and students. 

The ideal teaching-learning processes as proposed by Laurillard (2012) are: discussion - between the teacher and the learner, interaction - between the learner and some aspects of the world defined by the teacher, adaptation - of the world by the teacher and action by the learner, reflection - on the learner's performance by both the teacher and the learner. Teaching objectives cannot be maximally realized without being related to learning situation. In a situation where the class population is large, there would be swelling mounds of paperwork such as homework and examination scripts to grade, leading to less physical space per student in already tight classrooms. Over populous classes also mean less time with teacher for each student. These, according to Wilms (2006) are bound to bring difficulty to an already difficult job. 

In a situation where the class-size is large or the class is over populated, students are likely to be one of a crowd, receiving instruction in an audience's mode i.e. listening to teacher address all students equally. Learner's individual difference suffers, therefore, teaching-learning process becomes impaired; also students suffer discipline problems as teachers cannot get to know them all. In small classes, it can be easier for the teacher to spot problems and give feedback, identify specific needs and gear teaching to meet them, set individual targets for students and be flexible and adventurous in the use of different styles of teaching. In a study carried out by Saidu and Macqual (2013) it was reported that the situation in the University of Jos is the same especially in education courses.

There are only five lecturers to teach over 1800 students’ curriculum courses, which are compulsory to Faculty of Education students. This study further revealed that incidences of inadequate infrastructure to accommodate large population of students in the university of Jos, inadequate instructional material and manpower to effectively handle large classes. Cases of missing scripts culminating in missing results, marking difficulties and one-way and non- existence of continuous assessment due to difficulties in marking and grading were the cases.

 However, The National Universities Commission has a guideline for student- teacher ratio but from records over time, there are severe shortfalls in the teacher-students ratio (TSR) at the tertiary level. 

Discipline Ratio as stated by NUC

Administration         1:20

Arts  1:20

Education                              1:24

Engineering and  Technology   1:9

Environmental Design 1:10

Law  1:20

Medicine/Health Sciences  1:6

Pharmacy  1:10 

Sciences 1:10 

Social Sciences  1:20        

Source: Federal Office of Statistics, 2001:303

Verily, schooling at its best reflects a purposeful arrangement of parts and details, organized with deliberate intention for achieving the kind of learning we seek. Literature in English at undergraduate level is aimed at providing students with the intellectual and professional background adequate for their assignment and also to make them adapt to changing situations. These can only be achieved through' effective instructions in an active and nurturing environment. Meanwhile, Pogozzi as sited in Saidu and Macqual (2013)  , the school environment is: a place where children's opinions and needs are included; a place where peace and gender equity are upheld and differences of class, caste and religion are accepted; a place where opportunities for children's participation are extended, both inside the classroom, and in the community; accessible to all, including those with learning disabilities, and those who are pregnant; safe and secure, free from violence and abuse, sale or trafficking; a place where children take responsibility for their learning; a place where healthy lifestyles and life skills are promoted; Above all, a place where children learn.

For the prospective graduate to be effective, he needs to be acquainted with the curriculum, pedagogy and assessment which are normally handled through curriculum courses taught at the undergraduate level. Academic rigor is an essential characteristic of effective curriculum, instruction and assessment. Normally, students learn when they are challenged to use the full length of their talents and intellectual abilities. Therefore all students should have the opportunity to participate in qualitatively different academic environments that build upon their interests, strengths and personal goals. It's on the bases of these that this study on the effects of overpopulation on teaching curriculum courses to Science, Technology and Mathematics (STM) education undergraduate students in the University of Jos is carried out. There is some agreement in the literature that in administering certain tests, class-size matters in some circumstances. Mckeachie, Asghar, and David, in Saidu and Macqual (2013), have presented arguments that class-size is the primary environmental variable colleges and faculties must contend with when developing effective teaching strategies. According to them, motivation and attitude to learning tends to be more affected by large classes. Nowadays, the general impression is that the quality of Nigerian graduates is fast deteriorating. This may be as a result of the quality of the environment, nature of the lectures and so on. 

2.5 Implication of Large Class on the Interaction in Classroom 

Ralph (2002), observed that the larger the group, the greater the difficulty of assessing its integration. His opinion was that when a group is very large. There is bound to bring some lapses in small groups, individual difference can be effectively dealt with, thus high level of attention can be given to individuals within the group, but as the size of the group increases, less opportunity is afforded to each member to express him or herself particularly in discussions and similar interaction. Emeny and Ruse (2007) while supporting the view of Hane, observed that the students is served best when teacher understand his nature and needs and provides experience to meet their needs. But how can the teacher achieve this goal? The universal cry is for smaller classes. Morhmore (2009), supported the majority view that smaller classes are more likely to perform better than the larger classes. He also observed that smaller classes with less than twenty five students had 11 positive impacts upon me students’ progress and development, especially in the early years. That is to say that larger class is method or group method of instruction is commonly used. 

Osborn (2006), in his own view said small group were found to do better than large groups is solving important problems that required the initiative of the instructor which may be effectively carried out on the basis of small group compared with the large groups. Hane (2003), also discovered that smaller classes are more cohesive than larger class, that is in small class, each member is able to articulate his opinion and interact with every other members of the class, compared with large class where interactive is not individualized. Small classes tend to receive adequate attention from the teacher better and more easily. Some school of thought argued that difference in the nature and types of facilities and curricula also account for difference in students’ performance.

 However, it has been observed that even teachers themselves prefer smaller classes to the large ones. .It is therefore possible to argue that the more teacher give adequate attention to an individual students, the more inter class interaction would be increased consequently, the higher will be the academic performance of the students. Large et al (2001), noted that performance of large groups exceed that of small group on abstract problems while small group where found to do better than large group in classes. Entwistte (2006), conducted series of studies about academic performance and revealed that there are correlation class size as it affect students’ academic and concluded upon. 

Furthermore, it was also discovered from experience that large class should not be encouraged in carrying out practical classes. This was due to the fact that when science practical is being carried out; visibility will be reducing, compared with small class where the student will be close to their teachers and chalkboard. According to Doyle (2014), in modern day education, the focus is on the needs, interest and comfort of the students. Thus, managing class size allows students to learn effectively without disturbing one another (Garret, 2008). While a number of studies have found support for the importance of class size on student achievement, others strongly disprove this claim concluding that class size has little or no impact on objective student outcomes. Copious studies have investigated the influence of class size on student attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes. The devastating issue is that limited number of these studies has focused on elementary school effects of class size on student achievement (Altinok and Kingdom, 2012). 

The orthodox wisdom among parents, teachers, school administrators, and policy makers is that, smaller class size translates to improvements in student learning and outcomes. This orthodox wisdom, however, has not been universally supported by realistic evidence (Aturupane et al., 2013). It has been argued that increasing the intake of senior secondary school students in a large class has numerous benefits for the schools and the country as a whole. It helps to reduce the cost of building additional classrooms of which few schools 'as well as the country have the resources to fund additional classrooms and teachers. Also there is usually high energy, fun and excitement in large class size in public senior secondary schools. In addition, students learn to work well in groups since group work is a necessity in large class size (Azigwe et aL, 2006; Owolabi et al, 2012). 

In Nigeria however, the class size is becoming increasingly unmanageable, putting teachers in an impossible position of giving individual student required attention. In Nigeria public schools, the teachers' eye contact with the students in class has become so reduced that some of the poorly motivated students can form number of committees at the back of the class while teaching is going on to engage in non- school discussion. Regular assignments and home works are dreaded by teachers considering the staggering number of books to mark and to record. A research by Bosworth (2014) revealed that, the correlation between class size and student achievement is complex with many disagreeing results. The study concluded that class size has tiny impact on student achievement.

 The findings were inconsistent with the results of Rubin (2012) in that the later indicated that as the class size increases, student achievement declines. Contributing to exiting studies, conclusion from a study by Allen et al. (2013) was that 62 students per teacher was a threshold number and once class size went beyond 62, learning effectively stopped. Thus, as the number of students in a class was more than 62, teachers find it difficult to teach effectively and efficiently leading to students not being able to also learn effectively since low participation of class activities were possible. Despite this finding, Allen et a1. (2013) indicated that large class sizes do have moderate adverse effect on teaching and learning. The finding however contradicts the earlier studies and Inclusions by Bosworth (2014). In a related study, Evans and Popova, (2015) established that there is a negative nonlinear relationship between class size and student evaluations stronger than the relationship to student achievement, and with less concavity. This support finding including an analysis of studies which revealed a similar negative relationship between class size and student evaluation, particularly in regards to instructor interactions with students as demonstrated by Altmok and Kingdon (2012). 

Besides, the literature has argued that pedagogies specifically designed for teaching smaller classes sometimes overlap with pedagogies employed when teaching larger classes but have distinct characteristics that differentiate them from those employed when teaching larger class (Amrupane et al., 2013; Azigwe et al., 2016). Small class pedagogies can include project work where students are individually monitored and provided with continuous feedback on investigative tasks designed to develop higher order thinking skills  (Altinok and Kingdom, 2012; Bosworth, 2014). Additionally, these studies suggested that advantage should be taken of having fewer students in a class to provide learning experience that facilitate increased collaboration and communication among students, provide helpful learning opportunities and foster student metacognitive skills through the development of information discovering and help-seeking behaviours.            

According to Amadahe (2016), one of the most essential parts of the leaching and learning process is assessment and evaluation of students. Large classes call for large volumes of marking to be done and feedback given to students. This is a major challenge, especially in Nigeria public senior s. In the face of large classes, instructors are upset with the secondary school load and resort to traditional teaching and assessment methods. Teachers work are unable to finish marking assignments, exercises and examinations on time, and this delays the feedback given to students. From the social perspective, studies on large class size exist in developing countries but the results are often questionable. Aturupane et al. (2013) reviewed 96 studies that tried to link various educational inputs to student performance in developing countries and found out that nearly a third (31) of the reviewed studies specifically considered the effect of pupil-teachers ratio. Out of the investigation, only eight found reduction in class size to significantly explain improved academic achievement. This study is consistent with Stephens et al. (2014) study on learning competencies in five francophone sub-Saharan African countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali and Senegal) which demonstrated that an inverse relationship existed between class sizes and learning outcomes. That is, student learning decreased as class sizes increased. This means that the higher the total number of students in a class, the lower the level of concentration which leads to poor performance of the students. Azigwe et al. (2016) revealed that students’ engagement, behaviour, and retention are affected in so many ways by the size of the class.

2.6 Remedies to Large Class Size in Literature in English Class  

In light of rapidly increasing enrolment in many higher institutions of learning across the nation, administrators are under fire concerning the issue of growing class size and the potential diminishing of academic standards. There has however been much need to view the aspect of population as a holistic factor that does not operate in isolation. For three decades, a belief that public education is wasteful and inefficient has played an important role in debates about its reform. Those who have proposed greater spending programs for educational institutions to improve student achievement have been on the defensive. According to Trow as cited in Marlows, et al, (2016) the presumption has been that changes in structure and governance of schools, standards, accountability, and assessment, to name a few are the only way to improve student outcomes. Traditional interventions, like smaller class size and higher teacher salaries, have been presumed ineffective. Surely population reductions are beneficial in specific circumstances for specific groups of students, subject matters, and teachers. Secondly, population reductions invariably involve hiring more teachers yet teacher quality is a more important factor than class size in affecting student outcomes. Third, class size reduction is very expensive, and little or no consideration is given to alternative and more productive uses of those resources. Hence, by the way of adoption, it could be inferred from the above that if literature in English class should be effective, class population have to be reduced and more lecturers are to be hired for better achievement of the course.    

Similarly, in his study, Krueger (2018) states that the effect of class size found in the STAR experiment, however, is not the only factor in play. The possible benefits of smaller classes must be weighed against the costs, as asserted to by Hoxby (2013) to reduce class size in a meaningful way, school districts might need to hire more teachers, add more classes, and purchase more supplies or all of the above. Questions of class size can feature in decisions from teacher contracts to school construction and other factors. 

Furthermore, in an attempt to solve matter regarding class population and learner achievement, Leah (2011) noted that one means of attempting to do so is the development and implementation of institutional ‘teaching and learning strategies’. This practice is common in other countries and is government funded in the last two countries. According to the Higher Education Quality Committee (2001), the idea is also being implemented in a number of South African HEI’s. A teaching and learning strategy is essentially a set of specific goals, priorities and targets set at institutional level within a specified timeframe for the management and improvement of teaching and learning. It includes setting out responsibilities, resources, indicators and review and evaluation mechanisms. It should be aligned to the institutional mission, strategic plans and quality management system.

         In an advanced country, the format for enhancing funded learning and teaching strategies includes the following categories: context (what already exists and what needs changing), process of creation (how ‘buy-in’ by academics was achieved), goals, targets, strategies to address institutional culture, curriculum development, learning-teaching-assessment practice, quality assurance, quality enhancement, infra-structural changes, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.   

However, according to Saidu and Macqual (2013), the conceptualization of institutional change in higher education of learning is usually carried out simplistically and is often based on wrong assumptions about the nature of the organizations and about the process of change. For example, it is often assumed that higher education institutions are culturally homogeneous and well-coordinated organizations. They propose a rational-purposive model of policy implementation which assumes that strong leadership, tough top-down management and the effective use of techniques of control and measurement will effect change. Given the nature of higher education institutions characterized above, this approach to change management is clearly inappropriate.   

Moreover, the school site is an essential part of the planning. It is characteristics depend on many factors which include the types of site proposed for the school, the grade levels to be accommodated and aesthetic value of the community. Toppin (2006), opine that there should be consideration from natural beauty in the site. Natural beauty such as trees, shrubs, flower beds brooks, closeness to mountains, lake etc enhances the image of the school. This is expected by imaginative school administrator to produce good result in school performance. 

Aesthetic, safety from dangers and hazards, constitute an important factor for school environment selection. School should not be located near market or at place like airports, seaport or major highways because of the danger from accidents. School should be situated at far distance from industrial areas such as oil refineries, cigarette factories, soap industry where offensive odour and air pollution can be distracting and debilitating. At times the class can become noisy and uncontrollable for teacher and this could lead to the low concentration of the students.

CHAPTER THREE
3.0 Research Methodology

This chapter deals with the procedure used in carrying out this study. It includes research design, population, the sample and sampling techniques, research instrument, validity of the instrument, reliability, methods of data collection and method of data analysis.

3.1 Research Design

Descriptive method of survey type will be employed in the study. The design will be attempted to early childhood school teachers’ perceptions in the utilization of multimedia gadget in the teaching and learning in Oyo East local government area of Oyo state. Thus, the researcher will try to gather data on the identified research problem without manipulating any of the variables in the study.

3.2 Population of the Study 

The target populations for the study comprised all Nursery school teachers in Oyo East Local Government of Oyo State.

3.3 Sample and Sampling Techniques

The study employed simple random sampling technique. Thus, sample for the study consistof sixty teachers from in six schools in Oyo East Local Government of Oyo State. In each school ten teachers would be randomly picked andthe prepared questionnaire will be administered by them. 

3.4 Research Instruments

The instrument that will be used for the study is “questionnaire”. The questionnaire will be designed and will be addressed by the target population to obtain the necessary information required in achieving the objectives of the study. The Questionnaire will be divided into two sections. Section ‘A’ provided Demographic Information of the respondents and partly explains how the questionnaire is to be filled, while section B focus on research questions and key for the responds are: Strongly Agree=SA, Agree=A, Strongly, Disagree=SD and Disagree=D.

3.5 Validity of the Instruments

The instrument will be subjected to both face and content validity to ensure that they measured what they were expected to measure. Face validity entails looking at questionnaire and deciding if it really measures what it expected to measure. Content validity on the other hand, it has to do with the use of recognized subject matter experts to evaluate whether questionnaire assess defined content.

3.6 Reliability of the Instrument

Pilot test of the instrument will be carried out to observe how the respondents react to both questionnaires; whether the items are clear enough and easily understood, whether there is the need to include more items in certain areas, or whether there are some items to which they would not like to respond, etc. This will help determine the internal consistency and reliability of the questionnaires. A total of 5 teachers will be randomly selected as a sample outside the area of study; copies of the instrument will be administered as a small, and the results will be analysed to determining the validity of the instrument.

3.7 Method of Data Collection

Permission will sought from the local government and the participants will enlightened on how to attend to the Questionnaire, the participants thereafter will be asked to complete the questionnaire. Ethical issues of assurances will be given on the basis of confidentiality and discretion of the study. The participants will be informed of the purpose of the study and its seriousness and they will be encouraged to be truthful in their responses. The researcher administered the questionnaire with the assistance of one research assistant that assisted in the distribution and collection of the questionnaires.     

3.8 Methods of Data Analysis

Data collected will be analysed with the use of percentages and mean frequency count for each of the items will be calculated and analysed based on respondents’ responses to each item.

CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

This chapter contains the analysis and interpretation of the data collected from the respondents. It also contains discussion of findings in relation to the existing literatures and empirical studies.

4.1 Demographic Information of Respondents

Table 4.1: Gender Distribution of Respondents

S/N Gender Frequency Percent

1. Female 42 70

2. Male 18 30

Total 60 100

Table 4.1 indicated that majority of the respondents were female.

Table 4.2: Academic Qualification of the Respondents.

S/N Qualification Frequency Percentage

1. NCE 37 61.7

2. First Degree 16 26.7

3. M. Ed. 5 8.3

4. Other Specify 2 3.3

Total 60 100

Table 4.2 indicated that majority of the respondents were NCE holders, followed by first degree holders. The implication of this is that, the available teachers are qualified to handle Multimedia gadgets in their teaching process based on their qualification.

Table 4.3: Work Experience of the Respondents. 

S/N Work Experience Frequency Percent

1. 5 - 10 years 36 60

2. 11 - 15 years 17 28.3

3. 16 – 20 years 7 16.7

4. 21years and above 00. 00 00.00

Total 60 100

Table 4.3 indicated that majority of the respondents have up to five year experience in the field of teaching and learning process. The implication of this is that based on their experience, they can relate the importance of adopting multimedia gadgets in the teaching-learning process.

4.2    Research Questions

Table 4.4: Research Question 1:what are the available multimedia gadgets that can be utilized in early childhood teaching and learning process?

N/S Inventory of Multimedia Devices Available % Not Available %

1 Television 15 25 45 75

2 Radio 21 35 39 65

3 Computer Sets 24 40 36 60

4 Laptop 21 35 39 65

5 Visual aids 49 81.6 11 18.4

6 Overhead Projector 4 6.6 56 93.4

7 Internet facilities 20 33.4 40 66.6

8 Smart-Phone 43 71.7 17 28.3

9 Electrical power 15 25 45 75

10 Software packages 14 23.3 46 76.7

Total 100 100

Table 4.4 showed the respondents’ response on available multimedia gadgets that can be utilized in early childhood teaching and learning process.Based on the above displayed calculated percentages, it is evidently cleared that multimedia gadgets were available sufficiently to be utilized in early childhood teaching and learning process.

Table 4.5Research Question 2:What are the relevance of multimedia gadgets in teaching and learning in early childhood classroom? 

N/S Items Strongly Agreed Agreed Strongly Disagreed Disagreed Mean (X)

1. Multimedia gadgets makes classroom pleasurable for both teachers and the learners 36

(60%) 18

(30%) 2

(3.33%) 4

(6.67%) 1.57

2. Multimedia gadgets foster learning and make it permanent. 31

(51.67%) 22

(36.67%) 2

(3.33%) 5

(8.33%) 1.68

3. Multimedia gadgets safes time 30

(50%) 25

(36.67%) 1

(1.67%) 4

(6.67%) 1.68

4. Multimedia gadgets enables teachers to catch learners attention 33

(55%) 24

(40%) 2

(3.33%) 1

(1.67%) 1.52

5. Multimedia gadgets make learning real. 32

(53.33%) 23

(38.33%) 1

(1.67%) 4

(6.67%) 1.62

Weighted Average = 1.57

From table 4.5, it could be inferred that respondents responded positively to show the relevance of multimedia gadgets in teaching and learning in early childhood classroom, while majority of the teachers strongly agreed and agreed to the items. Also, with the mean score which weighted average was (1.57) and was greater than zero proved that the items are relevantly useful. 

Table 4.6Research Question 3: What are the challenges of multimedia gadgets utilization in early childhood teaching and learning process?

N/S Items Strongly Agreed Agreed Strongly Disagreed Disagree Mean (X)

1. Lack of Multimedia device in public schools 43

(71.67%) 15

(25%) 1

(1.67%) 1

(1.67%) 1.33

2. Inadequate Early Childhood teachers’ technical know-how.  39

(65%) 19

(31.67%) 00 2

(3.33%) 1.35

3. Poor funding of public schools. 29

(48.33%) 29

(48.33%) 1

(1.67%) 1

(1.67%) 1.57

4. Frequent change in government affectspolicy on education. 29

(48.33%) 28

(46.66%) 2

(3.33%) 1

(1.67%) 1.58

5. Poor learning environment contribute to the effective use of multimedia gadget 24

(40%) 31

(51.67%) 2

(3.33%) 3

(5%) 1.73

Weighted Average = 1.58

From table 4.6, it could be inferred that respondents responded massively to show that challenges are facing utilization of multimedia gadgets in teaching and learning in early childhood classroom, while majority of the teachers strongly agreed and agreed to the items. Also, with the mean score which weighted average was (1.58) and was greater than zero proved that the items are relevantly useful. 

4.3 Discussion of Findings

Research question one was on the availability of multimedia gadgets in schools. The analysed data established that major multimedia devices like: Television, Radio, Computer Sets, Laptop, Overhead Projector, Internet facilities, Electrical power and Software packages that are useful were not available for the teaching and learning in early childhood classrooms. The implication of this is that respondents may not be able to capture and arose the interest of today’s learners, and the objectives of the subject may not be realised as expected. These implications are in line with the claim of Dyah-Retno (2018) Multimedia gadgets can build interest, enthusiasm, and curiosity of children in learning something related to the theme of learning in an interesting way.

Research question two was on relevance of multimedia gadgets in teaching and learning in early childhood classroom. The analysed data revealed that multimedia gadgets makes classroom pleasurable for both teachers and the learners, foster learning, and make it permanent; it saves time and make learning real. This result correlates with the submission ofNational Association of the Education for Young Children (2012) that the use of multimedia gadgets in learning needs to be given more attention because they did not only provide a memorable and enjoyable learning experience but also shape the unlimited needs and abilities of children in accordance with the growth and development of children. 

Research question three was on thechallenges of multimedia gadgets utilization in early childhood teaching and learning process. The analysed data revealed that challenges like: lack of Multimedia device in public schools; inadequate Early Childhood teachers’ technical know-how; poor funding of public schools; frequent change in government affects policy on education;and poor learning environment were the obstacles standing against utilization of multimedia gadgets in early childhood classrooms.This correlate with the finding of Busari (2018) which revealed that the problems teachers have in improvisation of instructional materials relate mostly to their failure to give thought on what to construct, functionality and precision of the instructional materials, motivational and financial problems. Also, the finding revealed that another were poor funding of public schools. This corroborate with the finding of Ozorehe (2008) stated that insufficient fund make it difficult for teachers to acquire learning materials. This is how the ambition of many teachers is being killed through lack of funding in manyprimary schools.

CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents the summary of the major findings, implications, limitations; it also puts forth the conclusion made based on the finding. It is the hope of the researcher that useful recommendations made in the study will be implemented by those concerned with utilization of multimedia gadgets early childhood teaching and learning in Oyo East local government area of Oyo state.

5.1 Summary 

The study focusedonearly childhood school teachers’ perceptions in the utilization of multimedia gadgets in the teaching and learning in Oyo East local government area of Oyo state. The study was structured into five chapters. Chapter one gave the background to the study, statement of the problem, research questions significance of the study, scope of the study, and definition of terms were given within the chapter. Chapter two consisted of the review of the related literatures to the study. Chapter three gave the methodology used in study. The result and discussion of the findings from the analyzed data were presented in chapter four. This chapter is also made up of the description of the findings, the opinion of the respondents on the examined content. In all, three research questions were analysed. From the result, the analyses revealed that there were limited availability of multimedia devices for teaching and learninginearly childhood schools in Oyo East local government area of Oyo state; also revealed that early childhood teachers have good perceptions on the utilization of multimedia gadgets in their teaching and learning of early childhood learners. Finally, the findings showed that there were challenges militating against utilization of multimedia gadgets in teaching and learning, especially early childhood schools in Oyo East Local Government, Oyo state. 

5.2 Conclusion

 From the findings of this study, it is evidently clear that Multimedia gadgets utilization in teaching-learning of early childhood schools helps learners to develop skills of listening, viewing and retaining the concept taught permanently and at the same time applies it in their day to day life activities. This means that, the use of multimedia gadgets is superior to the stereotyped traditional teaching methods which were dominated by verbal instructions while learning is mostly by memorization as observed by Patel (2013) in Busari (2018). Based on the findings of this study, the researcher drew the following conclusion: it has been proved in the reviewed literatures that teachers in early childhood schools have positive mindset towards utilization of multimedia gadgets in their teaching and learning processes because of the significant role it’s plays in motivating pupils to learn, increase their interest in the subject, yield better performance and made practicing teachers to have confidence in whatever concepts they want to impact to their learners in a manner that follows new trend as well as accepted learning theories.

Since the findings has revealed that poor funding has led to lack of multimedia gadgets for teaching and learning in early childhood classrooms. Thus, evaluation of early childhood curriculum should include the utilization of multimedia gadgets while schools need to be provided with these facilities to actualize the aim and objectives of curriculumin teaching-learning process.

5.3 Recommendations

In view of the findings of this study as enumerated above it has made it necessary to make some recommendations for certain measures which will help in the provisions, acquisition and enhancement of effective utilization of multimedia gadgetss in teaching-learning in early childhoodschools in Oyo East Local Government Area, Oyo state. Thus, curriculum development planners should appreciate the need to make necessary adjustments especially on incorporation of full and comprehensive use of multimedia gadgetsinto the curriculum in early childhood schools. The government and stakeholders in education should make funds available for buying of needed multimedia gadgets for teaching in early childhood schools in the state. The state ministry of education should provide multimedia devices such as Television, Radio, Computer Sets, Laptop, Overhead Projector, Internet facilities, Electrical power and Software packages that are useful in order to promote quality teaching and learning in early childhood schools.

There is urgent need for government and other stakeholders in education to organize regular workshops/seminars forproprietors, head of schools, and teachers on the importance and current developments and progress in the utilization of multimedia gadgets and resources in schools. The educational supervisors should ensure regular supervision to enhance effective application of multimedia gadgets in the teaching of schools. Early childhood teachers in the field should ensure the exploration and improvisation of the available multimedia gadgets to help them with the means of extending their horizon of experience as well as providing them with rich sources of obtaining communicative materials.Also, the textbooks writers should ensure the inclusion of pictures and animations in their books to simplify and emphasize facts and clarify difficult areas.

In future studies more focus should be given on management strategies and policies to address the barriers faced by teachers in using ICT tools in teaching and learning. If the barriers faced by teachers can be overcome, it is a step forward to enhance our students’ learning outcome. The studies done with the same gender distribution could give more appropriate analysis whereby the gender perceptions could be analyzed

5.4 Suggestions for Further Study

A study of this nature cannot cover every area; hence the following suggestions for further studies have been made:

i. The study was carried out in an urban co-educational day schools, it should be extended to rural co-educational day or boarding public schools.

ii. The study may also be extended to include learners’ attitude toward the acquisition of knowledge through the aids of multimedia facilities 

iii. Other difficult concepts in early childhood curriculum apart from the one examined in this study should be examined.

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