The Role of Instructional Materials in Learning Geography among Secondary Schools in Busega District, Tanzania

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to establish the role of Instructional Materials in the Learning of Geography Subject in Secondary Schools of Busega District. The study adopted the mixed research approach under which convergent parallel design was used. The study involved 23 secondary schools in Busega District whereby four secondary schools were purposively sampled to participate in the study because the schools had exhibited a severe declining performance trend in Geography at the National examinations for last five years. The study used purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques to select 1 DEO, 4 Heads of Schools, 4 Heads of Geography Department, 8 Geography Teachers and 80 students to participate in the study. Questionnaires and interview guides were used for data collection. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics with the help of the SPSS software while the qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The study concluded that the use of learning materials in geography contributed to enhanced creativity and innovativeness in learners. Learning materials further assisted learners to comprehend difficult topics in Geography. It also made learning very interesting and this motivated learners to fully participate in the learning process. The study recommended that the use of instructional material should be emphasized in public secondary schools as they played a key role in enhancing productive learning of geography.