Resources Used by Universal Basic Education (UBE) Teachers in Teaching Basic Science and Technology in Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the extent to which UBE teachers put their training experience into practice with regard to the utilization of resources for teaching basic science and technology. The design of the study was descriptive survey research design. The population consisted of all13630 primary school teachers in Enugu State, Nigeria. The sample consists of 1363 Basic Science and Technology teachers randomly sampled. A 30 – item questionnaire was used to collect data from the teachers. The face validity of the instrument was determined by four experts and found to be valid. Crombach Alpha method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument which yielded an index of .86. Three research questions which guided the study were analyzed using mean. The findings of the study show that basic science and technology teachers occasionally  involve other teachers and class pupils as resource persons in teaching basic science and technology; they sparingly involve parents, community members, community leaders, NGOs, UNICEF, and UNESCO. With regard to material resources; they use textbooks, real objects and chalk/white board always and occasionally use charts, flat pictures, posters, cartoons, mockups, models, science and technology corners, improvisation and flannel board. However, they sparingly use the electronic resources and never use computer assisted instruction and internet. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made which include that industry school partnership should be encouraged. This is a situation where schools work   collaboratively with ICT firms for the purposes of supply of ICT facilities, training and retraining of teachers and pupils.

Keywords: Resources, Universal Basic Education, Basic Science and Technology, Teaching.