WELCOME TO KENTERPRO:
INFLUENCE OF VISUAL MATERIALS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING POETRY IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BOKKOS LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Poetry is one of three classic literary forms, along with prose and drama. Poetry is an art form that precedes literacy, meaning it existed before writing. These academics believe poetry began orally through oral traditions like storytelling and singing. This poetry was used to recall oral history, genealogy, and law. According to Dennis (2017), poetry did not always precede writing. Before writing, a long narrative would be simpler to recall and recount if it had a rhythmic and repetitive shape. Because poetry is dominated by rhythm and repetition, it is fair to assume that early forms of poetry were oral before being reduced to writing.

Many questions have been raised concerning poetry and concerning what poetry is. In fact, there is no accurate and exact definition of poetry. Researchers of the field agreed to disagree on what poetry means. It has been defined from different perspectives. Poets, philosophers, critics, and writers tried through time to define poetry and to answer the questions that have been raised concerning poetry like: what makes poetry different from prose? And what are the main features of poetry? As a result, poetry has as many definitions as the persons who tried to define it. What is certain and confirmed in literature and history is that poetry originates from the Greek word “poiéma” which means something made and in context something made by God himself. Poetry is truly difficult to be defined, because each one sees it from his own view.

According to Deme and Igwe (2020) poetry has been part and parcel of the cultural, intellectual and creative heritage of the African people. It serves as a means of expression that carries along with it the philosophy, morality, folkloric practices, spirituality, intellectualism, imaginative as well as the rhetorical aesthetics of the African people. The African people use the medium of poetry to communicate their feelings, beliefs and culture. Poetry is a genre of literature which is taught in the secondary school. A lot of teachers find it difficult to teach poetry and a lot of students see poetry the most difficult genre of literature. However, as researchers continue to research, many have associated the poor performance and attitudes of students towards poetry to teaching methods and use of instructional materials adopted by teachers (Alab, 2017). In the view of Akoyong (2019) teachers fail to use proper instructional materials, though they might adopt the appropriate teaching method. He therefore, advocated for visual instructional material as a tool for teaching students.

The use of visual learning aids has been shown to be beneficial in improving learning results. Visual learning aids, such as photos, drawings, or dynamic videos, are frequently used to promote learning and have a favorable influence on students’ learning outcomes. From the standpoint of learning and instruction, the usefulness of visual information is determined by the cognitive learning and retention of the information presented. Furthermore, the performance requirements for learning materials are mostly based on understanding and memory rather than on other skills. In contrast, Watson (2010) asserts that if the learning aids are truly applicable to a procedural motor activity, the performance criteria should be centered on the effect of the actual movement rather than on the recollection of that action. Then, while creating and implementing visual learning aids, educators should consider how they will help students learn. As a result, it is more accurate to refer to them as learning aids rather than teaching aids in this context. According to Kaswa (2015:p.10) “I hear and forget, I read and remember, and I see and understand.” It is possible that the use of learning aids in the educational process dates back thousands of years ago. This period is distinguished by the presence of Greeks and Latin people, particularly during the early 150 BC period, when people were educated and learnt things through hands-on experience. According to Callahan (2018), “Once upon a time, when mankind was young, reading and writing had not yet been established, and as a result, men and women educated their children using extremely primitive local tools.” It was a significant strategy for achieving high-quality outcomes in learning and teaching processes because the learners observed, physically and practically, the learning aids that were relevant to the particular lesson or subject under consideration. For example, boys were taught how to hunt wild animals like elephants with spears and arrows, while girls were taught how to cook food using a variety of ingredients. Additionally, parents taught their children about the world’s geographical location by drawing local maps on the ground, and religion was taught by drawing pictures on the walls and caves and hanging them from the ceiling. As a result of all of this, it is possible to see how visual learning aids influence the process of education in secondary schools. Any type of instruction, whether in public schools, private schools, or informal education, is an existing activity that requires improvement of the educational environment, particularly in the use of visual learning aids, to be successful (Anderson, 2019).

As described by Okeke (2013), visual aids include everything that can be seen while being used in a classroom to assist students in their learning. According to Devries (2017a), photographs and other pictures used in conjunction with verbal teaching materials enhance students. Photographs, images, and other visual aids can help students better comprehend a subject than words alone. This makes learning more concrete than abstract (Mayer, 2015). To help their students learn better, teachers have long used a range of visual aids. Science and technology in education are always developing, leading to novel configurations (Krukru, 2015).

According to Novita (2014), many teachers in developing nations, such as Nigeria, abandon the use of visual learning aids once they graduate from college. This is most likely due to the fact that they are more frequently involved in extra work and require more demanding organizational strategies from their professors. According to Novita (2014), visual materials can boost students’ interest in the subject matter and make learning activities more enjoyable. The use of visual materials also encourages students to participate and interact more actively during the learning activities themselves. Making studying more interesting can boost students’ motivation. Visual resources are used in the classroom as educational media. Visual elements can be used to guide students through the writing process (Siahaan, 2013).

It is in the light of the above discussion that this study seeks to examine the influence of visual materials in teaching and learning of poetry in senior secondary schools in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

It is a normal scenario to hear students make statements like “I don’t like poetry due to its complexity in use of language and abstract nature of some poems.” Such statements are indicators of negative attitudes towards poetry and if these attitudes are not checked, they may affect the performance of these students in poetry. This why the WAEC chief examiners’ report of 2020 indicated the poor performance of students in literature, especially poetry. Due to students’ failure in poetry education stakeholders and researchers are working tirelessly to make sure that they get a lasting solution to students’ poor performance in poetry (WAEC Chief Examiner’s Report, 2020).

Research has shown that using visual learning aids in the classroom can help students remember more information and improve their understanding of what they are learning. In spite of the importance of visual materials, there has been very scanty proof that visual learning aids help students do better in poetry classes. Most of the studies are done on visual resources that are used to teach other subjects, like social studies and English as a second language, among other fields. There has been minimal studies on how visual instructional materials affect the teaching and learning of poetry, even though they are very important in the classroom.

As teachers, we are always looking for new ways to solve educational problems. Poetry has been called “difficult,” “stiff in language,” and “confusing” by students in secondary schools as stated above. This is because of the different labels they’ve given it. Students who don’t like poetry are to blame for their poor grades in poetry. As a result of these negative feelings and the students’ poor performance in poetry, the researcher became interested in how to improve the students’ academic performance in poetry. It is in line with this that this study is carried out to examine the influence of visual materials in teaching and learning poetry in senior secondary schools in Bokkos Local Government Area.

• AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

            The main purpose of this study is to examine the influence of visual materials in teaching and learning poetry in senior secondary schools in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. other specific objectives of the study include:

1. To assess the influence of visual materials in identifying the setting of the poem.
2. To examine the influence of visual materials in discussing the theme of the poem.
3. To find out the influence of visual materials in identifying the tone of the poem.
4. To examine the influence of visual materials in pointing out the imagery in the poem.
   • RESEARCH QUESTIONS
5. What is the influence of visual materials in identifying the setting of the poem?
6. What is the influence of visual materials in discussing the theme of the poem?

• What is the influence of visual materials in identifying the tone of the poem?

1. What is the influence of visual materials in pointing out the imagery in the poem?
   • SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

            The current study on the influence of visual aids on students’ academic performance will be of considerable importance to students, instructors, researchers, and government. This study should be used as a resource for teachers who are interested in learning more about the influence of visual aids on students’ academic progress in the classroom. As a result of the findings, teachers will have a better understanding of the importance of visual aids in the classroom in order to improve students’ understanding and academic achievement. It will also determine the most effective visual aids to utilize in the classroom to influence learners and trigger their interest in order for them to study and engage effectively. As a result of the findings, teachers will gain a better understanding of the many methods in which kids learn as well as the importance of visual aids in student learning. The findings of the study should inspire teachers of literature who do not already use visual aids in teaching poetry to do so in the future since they provide actual evidence of the outcomes experienced by their colleagues who employ visual materials in their classrooms.

Furthermore, it is hoped that the study will serve as a reminder to concerned government and concerned authorities at various levels about the value of visual aids in students’ educational experiences.

            Students will benefit from this study as measures taken by government and teachers to enhance their academic performance in poetry will help them have more interest in learning of poetry and in doing so, their performance will be improved.

It is also anticipated that the study will be of significant value to researchers who seek to conduct additional research on the influence of visual aids on students’ academic progress and address research gaps as a result of the findings.

• SCOPE OF THE STUDY

            This study is focused on the influence of visual materials in teaching and learning of poetry in senior secondary schools. The study will be restricted to selected senior secondary schools in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. the variables that will be covered in the course of the research are the influence of visual materials in determining poetic themes, setting, tone and imagery in the selected poem. However, despite the fact that the study is restricted to the selected Local Government Area, its findings will be generalized to other parts of the State and country as a whole where applicable.