History visual aids and their impact on student-teachers’ performance at the School of Education Makerere University.

Abstract

This study was carried out in Makerere University School of Education. The purpose of the study was to find out history visual aids and their impact on students’ performance at the School of Education. It aimed at finding out availability, adequacy and accessibility of the visual aids and their impact on performance. This arose as a result of the declining performance in the subject. The research questions that guided the study were: (i) Are visual aids available for teaching History at the School of Education Makerere University? (ii) Are the visual aids adequate to meet the needs of the trainee students? (iii) Do the students access the visual aids at any time they are in need? This helped the researcher gather relevant information for the study. The study used a descriptive research design through the use of questionnaires as the main data collection tool. This was preferred because it would generate a lot of data within a short period of time. The study samples were history trainee students who were knowledgeable and informed the study quite well. The data was descriptively analysed.

The results revealed that some visual aids are not available for students in the course of learning history at the School of Education especially pictorials and this is something that is likely to hamper the performance of history at the School. The study also revealed that although there is a library and the syllabus coverage is adequate other visual aids are inadequate to meet the demands of the students and it is important for the school to source for more learning materials. Many difficulties were reported, a gap created as a result of less consultation and interaction between student-teacher and students to students therefore this among other problems seemingly is hindering continued progress in the subject.

The study concluded that the future of history at the School of Education and the nation at large is at stake. Visual aids have a strong influence in impacting performance in History, therefore its availability, adequacy and accessibility should be highly regarded in order for the core value of history to be past from generation to generation.

The study recommends that an attempt should be made to at least avail the basic instructional materials in order to fully equip the future history teachers. That a special room be created and fully equipped with the basic visual aids to arouse students’ interest in the subject. That extra time be provided to the students in order to motivate them further into the subject. Perhaps university students be taken out to Historical sites to invoke and rekindle their Historical memories. The study recommends that the ministry of education and sports should provide the visual aids for all the subjects both audio and visual.

Finally, areas of further research were suggested.