The Language Issue and the Use of Programmed Instruction in Science Education in Nigeria

Abstract

Programmed instruction in science has been used in Nigerian secondary schools in several ways: (1) as a remedial device, e.g., to assist students to learn biological concepts'; (2) to present material adjunct to the main course by developing in great detail a subject (e.g., vectors) that might not be given sufficient space in conventional textbooks in physics; and, (3) as a combination text and laboratory manual. The superiority of the use of programmed instruction (PI) in the teaching of biological concepts over other methods such as curriculum instructional materials and classroom presentation has been documented.2 Furthermore, because of the process of their production, PI materials in science are better than available textbooks on the market. Before PI materials are written, the target population must be specified and the expected terminal (overt) behavior must be stated in behavioral, objective form. In addition, the prototypes are field-tested before the final products reach the users. The problem is to determine the type of PI that can be used effectively with Nigerian secondary school students and which categories of students can use it best. As warned by Baez and Hallet, the relevance of programmed instruction to developing countries as Nigeria is not, for the moment, in the production of hardware (such as teaching machines) for its implementation, but in the benefit of writing the sequences for the