FACTORS THAT AFFECT LEARNING SUBJECT DIFFICULTY

TEACHER’S IMPACT

This includes: Teacher’s interest and attitude personality qualification, understanding and methods of teaching.

According to Allen and Valet (2004), the teacher is the key figure in science courses and he is someone who has the knowledge and can impact the knowledge to the students.

It is the teacher who set the task for the learning activities, the teachers plays a significant role in affecting student progress and he said further that teachers attitudes have influence on students performance in the sense that “a positive attitudes on the part of the teacher is essential to their performance and this technique will work in learning science subjects”.

Ogunniyi (2001) also contends that “No matter how dedicated the students may be, if the teacher is not dedicated or delighted in his work, the result on the effort of the students will fall short of expectation.

Avele and Williams (2000) noted that the socio-cultural dimension of the problem has made it become conscious enough to believe that science is a “Man land”.

Afon (2003) observed that lack of acute motivation by teachers in the classroom as well as use of infrastructural materials affects student’s performance in their examinations.

Omojuwa (1995) remarked that teacher influences students in two significant ways: by their own examples and also by the procedure they adopt in teaching. He buttresses his view by saying that “Unequipped teacher cannot impact the skill that he does not have, so the learning programme under such teacher is bound to suffer”.

Akinola (2005) stated that the problem of gender difference in schools is affected by the shortage of science teacher. Therefore, he advocated that employment of incompetent teacher to the teaching of Agricultural Science, thereby leading to inefficient and wrong way of impacting the knowledge in relation to the subject.

He stated further that a teacher who cannot actually make the students to understand his instruction discourage the learners and this could leads to the problem of not achieving the objectives of science or the objective set for the student before the commencement of the lesson.

Ashiru (2000) discovered that the methods employed in impacting Agricultural Science knowledge in school were as deficient and inefficient. Methods of teaching used by some science teachers were not encouraging.

Some teacher misuse little infrastructural materials available, some unqualified teachers do not know the objectives behind the use of infrastructural materials and when to introduce the teaching aids in order to make learning more meaningful and permanent to learner.

The purpose of infrastructural materials is to arouse and sustain the interest of the learners.

According to Balogun (2002), using of inadequate or inappropriate infrastructural material is another factor that leads to mass failure in Agricultural Science.

STUDENT’S INTEREST AND ATTITUDE

Another factor that influences the performance of students in agricultural science is student’s interest and attitude. Students create little interest and attitude towards the study of Agricultural Science and this has influenced their academic achievement in Agricultural Science.

King Olson and Balah (2003) considered that the act of practicing the theory and facts in science is considered on females. The study enables them to belief that “anxiety” in females also constitutes a factor among others to their dislike to science. And these can be rectified through proper and adequate use of reward and punishment, adequate teaching method and conditioning.

Highness (2005) said that poor teaching condition and use of unstable approach in the methodology and teaching science are two important factors contribute to students’ performance in Agricultural Science.

PARENT INFLUENCE

Parent also has their contributions in enhancing the performance of students in Agricultural Science; these include provision of written materials and textbooks. Counseling of students, providing extra lesson for them. Some parents show non-challant attitude towards the progress of their children in Agricultural Science and therefore lead to their poor performance in Agricultural Science.

GOVERNMENT IMPACT

Government has a great role to play in academic performance of the students in Agricultural Science. Government should provide laboratory equipment, infrastructural materials to all schools and the employment of teachers both in quality and quantity. Motivation of teachers to teach Agricultural Science, establishment of seminars, workshops and training for science teachers in order to improve their methods of teaching, provision for other infrastructural facilities like electricity, pipe-borne water, hardware and software to make practical aspect of science easier for the teachers and the learners, without all these facilities little science learning would take place.

According to Bankole (2004) commends that it is a problem in many parts of the world, most especially in developing countries, where students cannot afford high cost of books.

AVAILABILITY OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Instructional materials are not enough in schools, especially in rural schools.

Olanrewaju (1987) observed that inadequate of science equipment and materials resulted in abstract nature with which science are been taught in secondary school.

Students have no access to these materials in order to improve their performance. Some materials in Agricultural Science are very scarce and costly and not within the easy reach of most Nigeria schools.

 

INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL PRINCIPALS AND OTHER

CO-TEACHERS

Some school principals do not release enough fund for the science teachers in buying necessary materials to teach science in schools.

Time allocated for teaching Agricultural Science is not enough in schools. Some colleagues or other teachers do not cooperate with science teachers (they believe that science teachers are superior to themselves and students would like science teacher then them).

All these factors would influence the academic achievement of students in Agricultural Science.

Backman (1972), examined sex differences by comparing total test scores while others have focused on the proportion of students who answered a particular item correctly.

Marshall (1983) analysis was based on comparison of the mind of errors made by male and female students. And over all findings were that boys and girls did not differ significantly in computational skills, although boys were superior in problem solving.

An interest aspect was the observation that girls’ performance was strongly influenced by the context of the problem. For example, within the overall superiority of boys on problem solving, it was found out that a notable exception occurred with domestic problems that favoured girls

Apart from sex-role issues, Fennera (1980 and 2009) suggests that girls face an additional problem in the response of their teachers who tends to give more attention and specific criticisms to boys.

Cooper Smith (2007) said that socio-economic status of parents affects the academic achievement of students in schools. This statement was however disapproved by Gbolagunte in 1991. He found out that there is no significant difference between the socio-economic status of parents and student’s achievement in Agricultural Science.

Butler (1999) saw a common notion in many theories that career choice is the outcome of a series of adjustment by the individual to the realities of his own capabilities, needs and interests. An individual’s total experiences are thought to predispose him to select certain occupational possibilities and to exclude others.

Michaels (1978) viewed that student perform better in courses that will earn them a better carrier in life. For example, a student who wants to be an engineer first put in more effort in science subjects.

Osborn in his own findings in 1991 states that “a child’s pattern of occupational aspiration could be expected to fall in line according to the educational level of parents”. This is just an extension to parental socio-economic status and perhaps, other home factors have less effect on attitude or performance of students towards Agricultural Science than on attitude towards more verbal subject.

Callahan (1971) finds out that 70% of the students he studied enjoyed answering Agricultural Science problems when they know how to work well on them. Boys and girls showed a much stronger dislike on practical and science work / problems.