Influence of Instructional Resources on Senior School Students’ Performance in Physics in Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

For any nation to develop scientifically or technologically, the knowledge of physics is required. Despite this crucial role of physics in national development, the performance of students in the subject is poor requiring urgent revival. Since physics like other science subjects is believed to be meaningfully taught and learnt when appropriate instructional resources are available and used, this study therefore investigated the level of availability of physics instructional resources in senior schools in Ilorin and its influence on the students' academic performance in physics. The study was a descriptive survey and a total of six hundred and twenty five students participated. Proportional random sampling technique was used to select forty senior schools in the three local government areas that constitute Ilorin. A validated proforma and checklist were used to collect the record of students that sat for 2014 WASSCE in physics and check the available instructional resources in the selected schools respectively. Data obtained were converted to scores and were analyzed using mean, percentage and t-test statistical techniques. It was found out that physics instructional resources have a positive significant influence on the academic performance of senior school students in physics and that there was moderately high level of availability of instructional resources in private schools while there was low level of instructional resources in public schools in Ilorin. It was therefore recommended among others that government should provide adequate physics instructional resources in order to improve the academic performance of the students in physics.