RESOURCE MATERIALS AND STUDENT'S ACADEMICACHIEVEMENT IN GEOGRAPHYIN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN JOS NORTH PLATEAU STATE

Abstract

This study evaluates resource materials and students' academic achievement in Geography in secondary schools in Jos North, Plateau State. The researcher raised two research questions the population of the study consist of 22 private secondary schools and 229 public secondary schools in Plateau State. A sample of 275 was selected which consisted of geography students and teachers. A proportional stratified sampling technique was used to select the secondary schools. Descriptive survey research design was used, checklist and questionnaire constituted the instruments of the study. The validity of the instrument was determined by expert. The reliability of the checklist, questionnaire and students record were ascertained using cronbach Alpha, which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.69. Percentage and t-test were used for the analysis. The result showed that there was an inadequate resource material for the teaching and learning of geography in secondary schools. The result indicated that the available resource materials were below 50 per cent of the recommended Geography resource materials. The academic achievement of students in Geography is average. The study concluded that the inadequate and average academic achievement of students in Geography could lead to difficulty in providing conducive learning environment and ineffectiveness of teaching and learning Geography. The recommendation of the study was that the Plateau State post primary school service commission should support effective geography resources materials in the secondary schools through making provision for those resources needed through liaise with the State government and non-governmental agencies in order to provide schools with the required resource materials like Stephenson screen, barometer, barograph, wet and dry bulb thermometer, anemometer, Geography lab, wind vane, sunshine recorder, rain gauge, projector, hygrometer, rock cycle and weather station, to aid teaching of Geography