Investigate the Effects of Geography Field-Trip Teaching Strategy on the Academic Performances of Senior Secondary School Geography Students

CHAPTER ONE

                          INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Geography according to Majasan, (1995) is the dynamic science that describes the earth as the home of man and the stage on which he carves permanent features to aid his growth and development.. Therefore it is a subject in senior secondary school that enlightens the students about their environment and the spatial interaction at large.

Geography is offered at the senior secondary school level and the objectives of teaching and learning the subject were obtained by the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council [NERDC] (2005); The West Africa Examination Council [WAEC] (2014); as well as the National Examination Council [NECO] (2010).

          Their respective objectives are considerably intervention and can be presented as follow:

a.      To understand the concept of man-environment relation. That is to examine the life of man within his physical, social and cultural environment and to explain their interaction

b.     To acquire a basic knowledge of the nature and functioning of physical and human environment particularly in understanding their inter-relationship and the resulting issues and condition

c.      To understand the concept of differential characters and the spatial relationship of the surface features of earth.

d.     To organize and formulate principle according to acquired geographical concept and to apply these principle to interpret and analyze spatial problems in the immediate and wider environment.

e.      To develop skills and techniques for accurate, orderly and objective of geographical investigation to be carried out both in the classroom and in the immediate environment.

            The above objectives are aimed at making the students to understand man in space with emphasis in area differentiation, human activities and special organization and to make them to be better informed about their immediate environment (Olawepo, 2002). In the measurement of student academic performances in geography as a school subject; various tasks are undertaken within the school and outside the school. Within the school, such exercises include assignments, laboratory and field/garden works supervised by the geography teacher, teacher made tests, terminal examinations, continuous assessment etc. The results from the above exercises are graded and reported by the subject teacher as part of the progress report on the student.

            Furthermore, outside the school, external and independent examining bodies have emerged over the years to validate the assessment of student academic performance in geography. These examination bodies include the West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO), National Association for Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) and other external examination bodies. These examination bodies use standardized tests to measure student progress in Geography. Such tests items measure students’ performances in all the secondary schools with  In view of the above fact, Edwards, (1993) noted that such examinations administered for purpose of national, regional or local monitoring covers the same content, topics and levels of difficulty are administered and scored using the same marking scheme for all candidates taking the same examination. This constitutes a strong basis to monitor and measure trends in performances overtime and to equate test scores from one examination to the next as well as the disparities among schools, districts, zones and states.However, in pursuit of better and satisfactory student performance in geography in Nigerian Secondary Schools examination, West African Examination Council (WAEC), (2006) recommended that the study of geography should be supplemented by visits to well established government and private geographical tourism center, museums, human related activities to geography and other institutions related to geography.