Availability And Utilization Of Instructional Resources Used For Teaching History In Secondary Schools Of Hodan District In Mogadishu - Somalia

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to find out how teachers of history utilized various instructional resources. It also focused on availability of instructional resources for teaching history in some secondary schools of Hodan District in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Hodan was chosen as the location of the study because it has the highest number of schools in the district of Banadir region. In the study, only private secondary schools were used as there has not been single public school in existence in the southern part of Somalia since 1991. The researcher sampled one teacher from each school who was teaching history. The total population was 200 students in form four from secondary schools in Hodan District and eight teachers. The instruments used for the data collection were questionnaires, checklists and observation schedules. Two questionnaires were used, one for teachers and the other one for students. Lesson observations were carried out by the researcher himself. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mainly frequencies and percentages. The study findings revealed that a limited number of teachers (12.5%) attended seminars on utilization of learning resources in teaching history. It also showed that most of the instructional resources were not available in the schools except the chalkboard, textbooks, charts and maps. Lack of funds and lack of book centres were the major limiting factors in acquisition of resources. The findings of the research further revealed that guest speakers were never invited to schools as resource persons for history nor were field trips organized for students. The findings of the research are significant to teachers, students, researchers, educational administrators and policy makers because it recommends the need for souring of history resources and their effective utilization for the achievement of objectives of teaching history.