PROBLEMS AFFECTING THE EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF BUSINESS STUDIES

1.1 Introduction

Business Studies is that aspect of vocational education that focuses on the development of the students with the acquisition of skills needed to satisfy human wants, the attitude of students towards the subject should be studied both by the school counselors and business teachers in our secondary schools in order to help them to have right disposition towards those Business Studies subjects. It is obvious that business transactions are growing within and outside the country, the acquisition of business skills is more important now than ever. It is unfortunate, however, that these secondary school students are not taking this global challenges seriously. They rather prefer studying arts subjects to commercial subjects. No thanks to unnecessary fear students have developed for shorthand in recent times.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Business Studies has been discussed as a social science discipline which ought to be taught in all post primary schools in Nigeria as stated by the National Policy on Education. Business Studies is made up of a number of subject areas. In other words, it is an integration of many subjects, it is offered as an integrated subject at the Junior Secondary level comprising, office practice, commerce, shorthand, typewriting and book-keeping. However, at the Senior Secondary level, the subjects are separated into shorthand, typewriting, economics, book-keeping and accounting with a view to providing career options.

The (NBTE) Business Studies curriculum had several features that were intended to produce teachers who be adequately suited for teaching Bossiness Studies at the secondary school level. Courses were specified in modules with the performance objectives for each module clearly specified common core subject which every student had to study for the first 2 years, were specified. Specialization in either accounting or secretarial options was reserved for the third and final year.

Bello (2002) defined education as the aggregate of all the processes by means of which a person develops abilities, attitude, and forms of behaviour of positive value in the society in which he lives. Education can be viewed from the dimension of formal, informal and non – formal education. Complete education cannot be acquired within the classroom only. A large part of education can be acquired from outside the classroom. Such source include the home, peer groups, travels and other non-classroom situations. Formal education means any form of teaching- learning process, which has a generally accepted and regular set of rules organization and pattern. In order words, formal education means schooling. The formal education is unique in the sense that it has control, curriculum, regular financing, staffing and evaluation of examination.

Business education is a part (specialized education) of the aggregate of formal and non-formal education. For proper understanding of researcher’s discussion in this paper, it should be noted that in Nigeria, commercial subject or business education or business studies mean the same thing and which term one may wish to call it, is grouped under vocational and technical education curriculum of the Nigeria school system under the 6-3-3-4 system as provided in the national policy on education 1977 revised 1981. Business studies are regarded as a single subject in the pre-vocational group of subjects.

According to Nanassy (2003) business education is an aspect of the total education, which provides students with the necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes and values to enable them enter into various occupational field.

Ulinfun (2001) also defined business education as education for business, or training in business skills, which are required for use in business offices and clerical occupations and business policy analysis.

In Nigeria, business education had a slow start and develops less quickly than other forms of education because the advents of formal education in this country neglect business education entirely. Even when effort were made to recognized it, the image portrayed was very poor at it because the public saw it as the education meant for the handicapped, the drop-outs, the never do – well and mentally mal –adjusted.

The idea of business education in Nigeria started as far back as 1882 by colonial masters. The main purpose was to get people to interpret the scared book known as Bible, and also people to work as clerks, and interprets of Holy Book, so their education was confined to knowledge and skill such as typewriting and filling, which would achieve these goals.

Training in vocation business studies on what came to be known later as commercial education started about 1930 with the establishment of a clerical training center at Oshogbo in the former in the former western Region, now Osun State. The purpose of the center was to train clerical officers that were badly needed at the time to fill positions in the office.

By 1955, many commercial secondary schools were established in the western region and subject like shorthand, typewriting and business methods etc. were taught.

The awareness and impact of business education to the economy was first mentioned in the Ashby report, the Ashby commission in it report in 1960 noted the imbalance in out educational system and shortage of caliber of workers in our industries and offices. Then he suggested the offering of commercial courses in the schools, which include among others. English, shorthand and typewriting. The report also suggested that the technical institutes should provide full – time post – secondary general commercial course. The purpose for this was then maintained, was to train stenographers and junior clerk for up – grading to more responsible post.

Later the curriculum conferences of 1969 provide the recognition of business education as an indispensable field of study in a developing industrial economy. The recommendation of the curriculum conference led to the development of new business education curriculum in Nigeria, including elementary, secondary technical and university education. The new policy has strong impact on the development of vocational business education for example, business studies is grouped under the pre –vocational subject.

At the junior secondary level, business studies is taught as an integrated subjects, comprising all the vocational business areas, which include five basic subjects, book – keeping, commerce, office practice, shorthand and typewriting.

At the senior secondary school level, however, business subject are allowed to stand on their own as separate subjects. At this level the students move towards a career option, which he is likely to pursue further at the college of technology or polytechnic for a higher professional training or at the university.

Teaching aids promote learning. The teacher should endeavor to provide make appropriate use of suitable audio – visual aids. Free use of chalkboard is of immense value. Teacher should make use of illustration; this does not refer only to pictorial images. It includes explanation conveyed through suitable words.

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Problems Affecting the Effective Teaching and Learning of Business Studies.

1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that the problems in teaching Business Studies like any other subject have been attributed to the lack of materials for teaching, sometimes some teachers are not qualified to teach the subject. In some cases however, there are qualified teachers but they lack the necessary teaching materials without, which efforts, become futile. Also sometimes the student or learner is rather not interested in the subject and hence they perform below expectation.

It is worthy to note that the method of teaching employed by the teacher may render the subject uninteresting. This is simply because; a good teacher with a bad method of teaching gets a poor result. This study investigates the Problems Affecting the Effective Teaching and Learning of Business Studies.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to investigate the Problems Affecting the Effective Teaching and Learning of Business Studies. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To examine the educational and professional qualifications needed by teachers to excel;
2. To determine the number of periods allocated to business studies on the school timetable;
3. To ascertain the adequacy of materials and equipments for the teaching of business studies;
4. To examine the availability of functional libraries in the area under study; and
5. To examine the teaching aids and textbooks use by teachers and students to facilitate the learning and teaching of business studies.

1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Are there number of periods allocated to business studies on the school timetable?
• What are the educational and professional qualifications needed by teachers to excel?
• What is the adequacy of materials and equipments for the teaching of business studies?
• What is the availability of functional libraries in the area under study?
• What is the teaching aids and textbooks use by teachers and students to facilitate the learning and teaching of business studies?

1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: Teaching aids and textbooks use by teachers and students does not facilitate the learning and teaching of business studies
• H1: Teaching aids and textbooks use by teachers and students facilitate the learning and teaching of business studies

Hypothesis Two

• H0: There are no significant educational and professional qualifications needed by teachers to excel in teaching business studies
• H1: There are significant educational and professional qualifications needed by teachers to excel in teaching business studies

1.7 Significance of Study

The study is essential for the students, the teachers, the schools, colleges and the ministry of education on how to improve the standard of business education subjects as it affects the secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Specifically the study:

1. Enable the students to have positive attitude towards business studies and put more effort in the learning of business studies so as to improve their performance.
2. It provides the teachers with the necessary ingredients needed for them in order to make the teaching and learning of business studies effectives.
3. It will enable the school to give the necessary supports such as provision of fund for the effective teaching and learning of business studies.
4. Finally, it also enables the ministry of education to provide adequate, and relevant instructional text materials for effective instruction in business studies.

1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Problems Affecting the Effective Teaching and Learning of Business Studies at the Junior Secondary School in Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos State.

1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

1.10 Definition of Terms

Business: The study of the management of individuals organizing to maintain collective productivity toward accomplishing particular creative and productive goals (usually to generate profit).

Techniques: Is the process by which the learner is associated with the learning task by the teacher, techniques are generally used within a method. They form part of a method of approaching a topic.

Method: It is the way in which people are organized in order to conduct an educational activity with the purpose of achieving a set goal.