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An investigation on the effects of inadequate educational resources for Social

Studies at a selected primary school in Katima Circuit.

Thesis · September 2021

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32116.83840

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An investigation on the effects of inadequate educational resources for Social
Studies at a selected primary school in Katima Circuit.

A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree

of Bachelor of Education (Honours)

Department: Education in languages, humanities and commerce

By

Macline Sinvula Sakusita

Student Number: 201503363

Supervisor: Mrs. Julia Mwaka Chaka

September,2021
 ABSTRACT
Learning is enjoyable and interesting when instructional resources are plenty. Educational
resources assist learners to build up and deep understanding, knowledge and interest in learning
a particular subject. This study was aimed at finding out the effects or problems associated with
the insufficiency of instructional materials to learners and how it affects them, and how the
inadequacy of Social studies affects educators’ aptitudes during their teaching’s in classes.

The research employed the qualitative research approach with the use of a case study design.

The study findings were gathered through verbal interviews with three Social studies educators
and the investigation questions were converted into themes of the study. This study was supported
by the behaviorism learning philosophy as its theoretical framework.

The discoveries of this study divulged that the shortage of instructional materials has negative
effects on both educators and school learners as limits learners’ abilities to grasp essential skills
and a better understanding of Social studies, the study results have shown that Social studies
educators develop boredom due to the inadequacy of instructive tools resulting in high learners’
failure rate in Social studies.

Keywords: Consequences; inadequate; instructional materials; educators; learners; Social studies

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Firstly, I want to thank the almighty heavenly father for keeping me strong through the trials and
tribulations I encountered in conducting this study.

I want to thank my dear mother, Carritah Sakusita, for being my life mentor, caregiver all through
from lower primary education. Stay blessed.

I would like to thank my research supervisor Mrs. Julia Mwaka Chaka for the devotion and
proficient advices she had given me to complete this investigation. I would also like to thank the
Social studies teachers that were involved in this study.

Lastly, I would my brothers and sisters as they believed in me and motivated me towards
completing this study on time. I appreciate every one of you.

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 DECLARATION

I, Macline Sinvula Sakusita, hereby declare that “An investigation on the effects of inadequate
educational resources for Social Studies at a selected primary school in Katima Circuit.” is a true
reflection of my own research, and that this work, or part thereof has not been submitted for a degree
in any other institution of higher education.

No part of this project may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or translated in any form,
or means (e.g. electronic, mechanical, photocopying, and recording or otherwise) without prior
permission of the author, or The University of Namibia on that behalf. I Macline Sinvula Sakusita
grant The University of Namibia the right to produce this project in whole or in part, in any manner
or format, The University of Namibia may deem fit, for any person or institution requiring it for
study and research, providing that The University of Namibia shall have the right if the whole thesis
has been or is being published in a manner satisfactory to the University.

Signature………………………. Date…………………………….

Sakusita Macline Sinvula

201503363

iii
 DEDICATIONS

This study is dedicated to my cherished mother Carittah Sakusita, the mother of my beloved
daughter Chaze Kasale. I would have not been able to perform this study without their constant
encouragement, love and support. I absolutely adore both of you and I value all of your work for
me.

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 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

COVID-19 – Corona Virus Disease 2019

MoE- Ministry of Education

NGO’s – Non-governmental organizations

SBS- School Based Studies

UNAM- University of Namibia

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Table of Contents

ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………………………………………...ii

DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................... iii

DEDICATIONS…………………………………………………………………………………..iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ....................................................................... v

Chapter 1 ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Background of the study ....................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Statement Problem ................................................................................................................ 2
1.3 Research questions ................................................................................................................ 2
1.4 Significance of the study ....................................................................................................... 2
1.5 Limitations ............................................................................................................................ 3
1.6. Delimitations ........................................................................................................................ 3
1.7. Definition of key terms ........................................................................................................ 3
Chapter 2...................................................................................................................................... 4
Literature review and theoretical framework .............................................................................. 4
2.1 Educational resources ............................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Efficacy of educational resources ......................................................................................... 4
2.3 Obstacles confronted by teachers and learners in the instructional and learning processes of
Social studies with inadequate educational resources available ................................................. 6
2.4 Ways of capitalizing the situation of inadequate educational resources ............................... 6
2.5 Theoretical framework .......................................................................................................... 7
Chapter Three .............................................................................................................................. 8

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Research Methodology ................................................................................................................ 8
3.1 Research design ..................................................................................................................... 8
3.2 Population.............................................................................................................................. 8
3.3 Sampling................................................................................................................................ 9
3.4 Data collection methods ........................................................................................................ 9
3.5. Data collection procedures ................................................................................................... 9
3.6 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 10
3.7. Research ethics ................................................................................................................... 10
Summary ................................................................................................................................... 11
Chapter Four ............................................................................................................................. 12
Table 4.1 Profiles of research partakers .................................................................................... 12
4.1.2 Instructional and learning materials for Social studies existing at the school .............. 12
4.1.3 Challenges confronted by teachers in the teaching of Social studies with inadequate
teaching resources.................................................................................................................. 13
4.1.4 Consequences of insufficient learning resources on learners ....................................... 15
4.1.5 Results/ finding from class observations ...................................................................... 17
4.1.6 Suggestions to rectify the issue of inadequacy of instructive materials ....................... 17
Summary ................................................................................................................................... 18
Chapter 5.................................................................................................................................... 19
Discussions ................................................................................................................................ 19
5.1 Availability of instructional materials ................................................................................. 19
5.2 Problems confronted by teachers due to the lack of instructional materials in the teaching
processes.................................................................................................................................... 19
5.3 Consequences of insufficient instructional materials on learners ....................................... 20
5.4 Suggestions to rectify the issue of inadequacy of instructive materials .............................. 20
Summary ................................................................................................................................... 21
Chapter 6.................................................................................................................................... 22

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Summary, conclusion and recommendations ............................................................................ 22
6.1 Summary of the study results .............................................................................................. 22
6.2 Conclusion........................................................................................................................... 23
6.3 Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 24
Summary ................................................................................................................................... 24
Appendices ................................................................................................................................ 27
Appendix 1: Letter of introduction ............................................................................................ 27
Appendix 2: Research questionnaire ......................................................................................... 28
Appendix 3 Research project progress form……………………………….……………….….29

Appendix 4: Plagiarism report (20% or less) …………………………………………………30

Appendix 5: Research consent forms……………………………………………………….31-33

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 Chapter 1
Introduction

Learning is enjoyable and interesting when educational resources are plenty. Instructive resources
assist learners to build up and deep understanding, knowledge and interest in learning a particular
subject. During my School-based studies, I noticed and learned that social studies as a subject have
fewer educational resources for effective lesson delivery and learning of Social Studies.

1.1 Background of the study

It is well known that learners learn and grasp skills in various ways. Learners in social studies have
numerous ways of learning styles. Holt, (1995) states that “individuals can learn by hearing, seeing,
reading and touching” for learners to be able to learn to the fullest capability they should have
access to educational resources that favor their learning styles. Due to inadequate educational
resources for Social Studies, some learners find it difficult to acquire the basic competencies, as a
result, their learning is not maximized. Teaching and instructional resources such as textbooks
and maps, as well as physical amenities such as classrooms, libraries, restrooms, and playgrounds,
are all part of the learning atmosphere.

According to (Lung, 2016) a successful classroom is defined by its physical appearance or

configuration, which uplifts the emotional wellness of the learners, and therefore, it’s important
for Social studies teachers to ensure the coherence in their lessons, there should be an arrangement
of a conducive atmosphere with an arrangement of adequate guidance instructing learning
materials. When teaching in Social studies, instruction materials are very crucial.

Throughout my three months teaching practice at a particular primary school in the Katima circuit
I observed that the school lacks teaching materials, and that learners academic progress in Social
studies was very poor because teachers do not have instructional materials to use in presenting the
content of the lesson. Young learners learn by seeing and touching what they are told. At the school
where I did my SBS/teaching practical’s, a lack of instructional materials appears to be a cause of
low academic achievement for Social studies. As an outcome of the learners' poor results in Social
studies due to the scarcity of instructional resources, I felt obliged to do research on this problem.

1
1.2 Statement Problem

Many schools in Namibia have less or inadequate educational resources, as a result, this effective
instructional and learning are hindered. Wikan, (2008) investigated the effects of inadequate
instructive resources on both teachers and learners in primary schools in Namibia. The main
problem studied is how insufficient educational resources affect learners and teachers. How
insufficient instructive resources impacts teaching and learning at a certain selected school, as well
as how insufficient educational resources affect learners' academic results.

1.3 Research questions

1.3.1. Central question: How does the inadequacy of educational resources affect the instructional
and learning of Social studies?

1.3.2. Sub-questions:

1.3.2.1 What do you have at this school as instructional and learning materials?

1.3.2.2. What problems are experienced by teachers in the teaching process of Social studies with
inadequate teaching resources?

1.3.2.3 What, in your opinion, are some of the consequences of insufficient teaching materials on
your learners?

1.3.2.4 What do you suggest could be done to rectify the issue.

1.4 Significance of the study

This research project will be very useful to Social Studies teachers and the MoE because it will
educate them about the effects of insufficient educational resources for Social studies at a selected
school in Katima Circuit. The study also aids the participants because it will serve as a springboard
for people who want to do more research in the same section. Furthermore, the findings of this
study could lead to an amendment in how the government invests in educational resources for
Social Studies as a school subject in Namibia, as well as at a specific school where the study was
conducted.

2
1.5 Limitations

Since this was a small-scale study with limited time, the researcher was unable to discuss problems
in greater detail. Less information was available because less research has been done in Namibia
on the issue or inadequate educational resources for Social Studies. As a result of this, the
researcher struggled in acquiring more secondary information in the literature view. Another major
limitation is encountered during the project was the lack of money, the researcher had to travel to
and from the selected school to collect data. Lastly, the other limitation is that learners and teachers
did not have ample time to disclose more information as we're busy with their daily teaching and
learning activities. Other Social studies teachers did not open up to give more information due to
trust reasons.

1.6. Delimitations

The study was steered and conducted out in the Zambezi region only. This area is acquainted with
the researcher because this is where he originates from. The study was limited to the teachers and
learners at the particular school in the Zambezi region of Namibia. Even if the issue of insufficient
educational resources affects all Namibian schools, the study concentrated on a sole selected
primary school.

1.7. Definition of key terms

Educational resources- Are things that are put into place to make a room active and conducive
for instructional and learning to transpire in order for learners to grasp basic competencies.
(Dangara, 2016)

Learning- Is change in humans’ behavior by acquiring skills and knowledge by experiences and
to use it to the benefit of the humankind. (Watson, 2017)

Teaching- Is the act of transferring knowledge and skills to someone usually to scholars in a school
setting. (Turnbull, 2013)

Confidentiality- The act of respecting someone’s sayings and total keeping them as a secrete with
maximum privacy (Turnbull, 2013)

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 Chapter 2

Literature review and theoretical framework

In this section, the researcher deliberated about the effects of inadequate educational resources for
both learners and teachers at a selected primary school. This chapter examined research and
scientific publications relevant to the reports by other scholars. Essentially, the researcher provided
analysis of various sources with the intent of presenting current information in the field of this
study under the following subtopics: educational resources, the efficacy of educational resources,
obstacles confronted by teachers and learners in the teaching and learning processes of Social
studies with inadequate educational resources available as well as the theoretical framework that
supports this study.

2.1 Educational resources

Educational resources are both human, material, and non-material education resources, as well as
the school atmosphere and culture, which are referred to as educational resources. Educational
resources or materials available in an academic setting to help school administration make the
instructional-learning procedures easier (Dangara, 2016).

Educational resources are used in a learning environment to aid in the development and learning
of individuals. They are made to help people remember what they've learned and, in some cases,
to put their knowledge to the test. Teachers and educators should use educational tools to help
them provide high-quality lessons. (Garner, 2009)

2.2 Efficacy of educational resources

A study carried by (Recker, 2007) revealed that educational resources are valuable because they
can help learners to achieve higher levels of success by facilitating their learning. A worksheet, for
example, can provide an important opportunity for a learner to practice skills learned in class. This
method facilitates learning by encouraging learners to pursue information on their own while also
offering repetition. Materials for learning, regardless of the form, all serve a role in a learner's daily
learnings.

Learning becomes more interesting, practical, rational, and appealing when educational materials
are used. They also make it possible for both teachers and learners to engage fully and successfully

4
in class. They allow for the growth of self-confidence and self-actualization as well as the
acquisition of skills and knowledge. (Recker, 2007)

(Yates & Hattie, 2013) outlined that through using instructional materials, enthusiastic teaching
and learning are accelerated and learners gain ways of analyzing, integrating, and applying the
information, and this aids them to play a more dynamic role in the learning progressions. In
establishing an ideally suitable classroom atmosphere, instructional resources are essential. The
use of these resources gives educators more valuable strategic insights when offering lessons.

Learning resources come in a variety of forms, but they all have one thing in common: they can
help children comprehend the lesson content. The main goal and significance of instructional tools
are to make lessons engaging, learning simple, and allowing educators to articulate concepts
clearly, (Archer & Hughes, 2010)

(Kopp 2017) says that instructive materials can help learners attain better grades and high academic
performance. Learners can gain valuable knowledge through an informative video, learning
materials provide critical details that learners practice, effectively integrate during a lesson. These
resources have the ability to inspire learners.

When teachers need to reinforce an ability or idea, educational resources can be helpful tools. They
do not only give learners additional time to rehearse and practice, but they also present the
knowledge in a way that encourages learners to connect with the content in new ways. Naturally,
this is obligatory to reach the diverse learning styles of various learners in the classroom,
instructional materials are used to ensure that learners are actively involved and that learners
actually get to know their learning objectives (Ndirangu, 2010)

5
2.3 Obstacles confronted by teachers and learners in the instructional and learning processes
of Social studies with inadequate educational resources available

With the lack of educational resources, learners find it difficult to comprehend and enjoy the lesson
that the teacher is teaching them. Lack of instructional material affects learners in comprehending
the main aspects of the lesson that the teacher is delivering. Furthermore, with the lack of
educational resources, teachers find it hard to determine if the learners' comprehension of the
subject has improved. Educators often find it difficult to clarify arguments with fewer educational
resources because they fear any pupil would be left behind if there is no abundant access to
instructive resources. (Nawani, 2019)

Motivating and retaining their interest through the usage of learning materials and coalescing them
with fascinating activities will make their school experience memorable and thus will improve
their performance. (Nawani, 2019)

(Davis, 2009) said that the lack of educational resources also makes learners lose interest in
learning, when motivation is absent, learning is impossible. The conventional setup of the teacher
speaking in front of the class while the learners passively listen can cause learners to lose
attentiveness in the lesson, one major drawback of instructional materials being scarce is that
educators tend to give plain speeches and too much verbal communication action for teachers
precludes the ability to interact with the learners all throughout the lesson, this leads to scholar’s
dissatisfaction.

2.4 Ways of capitalizing the situation of inadequate educational resources

Instructional resources are any tools that a teacher uses in his classroom to aid learning. Some of
the most widely used forms of instructional materials include traditional instruments, graphic
organizers, and teacher self-made resources. Textbooks and workbooks are traditional
instructional materials. (Kopp, 2017)

Educators can use diverse ways to aid and capitalize on the situation of inadequate educational
resources. Teachers can use economical educational materials. Social studies teachers can elect
and use cheaper teaching or educational materials, paintings, and community resources such as
charts, handouts, and flip charts. (Garner, 2009)

6
(Thornton, 2005) social educators can choose to use the ABC Books, after every single section is
successfully completed, a collection of difficult words is initiated by the learners in an alphabetical
custom, where every learner gets to pick a letter and find the correct meaning of the letter they
picked, this assist to enhance learners’ vocabulary.

2.5 Theoretical framework

Behaviorism focuses primarily on the principle that all actions and behaviors are cultured by means
of environmental interactions. (Cheney & Pierce, 2013)

This study is supported by the behaviorism learning philosophy (Schunk, 1990) which states that
the behavioral learning philosophy, also known as behaviorism, is a common philosophy that
emphasizes how learners grasp knowledge. According to this learning theory, habits are learned
from learners’ surroundings, behaviorism learning theory stipulates that knowledge is acquired
through contact with the world.

The behaviorism learning theory is related or supports this proposed study in a way that when
educational resources are availed to learners, they will be able to learn from the educational/
learning resources placed in their classroom environment by interacting with them in the process
they learn and grasp knowledge from the educational or learning resources that are placed in their
classroom environment, in this case, the class is the classroom where learners interact with
learning/educational materials, as an outcome of interacting with the educational resources;
learning happens.

The picture below shows a behaviorism class environment where learners grasp knowledge or
learn by interacting with educational resources.

Behaviorist classroom environment

Source: https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-behavioral-learning-theory2005.html

7
 Chapter Three

Research Methodology

This section clearly outlines the data collection methods utilized in the study, with the goal of
responding to the research questions of this study. This chapter also looks at the population of the
study, sampling, data collection procedures, data analysis as well as research ethics of this study.

3.1 Research design

The researcher made use of the qualitative research approach as this type of approach uses words
and non-numerical information to explain a concept. (Boudah, 2010)

(Creswell, 2017) defines research design as the researcher's overall plan for joining various
components of a thesis in a clear and understandable way, efficiently solving the research issue.

This study made use of a qualitative approach; a case study design was used for data generation.
This study used a case study design; a case study is a research strategy that is used to produce an
in-depth, complete explanation of a complicated issue in its structural form. (Creswell, 2017)

(Merriam, 1988) continues to say that case studies are useful for explaining, comparing, analyzing,
and comprehending various elements of a study topic.

The researcher employed a case study approach to understand and solve the research problem on
an enormously advanced level in a true-life situation through in-depth data acquired from a wide
range of sources, such as observations, interviews, books, online-published resources, and audio
recordings.

3.2 Population

Population is a cluster of people who have the same characteristics that the analyst is concerned
with. It is the total collection of people or entities to which the analyst or the researcher wants to
apply/generalize the findings of the study. (Boudah, 2010)

8
In discovering information for this study. The population of this research project was the Social
studies teachers and grade 4-7 Social studies learners.

3.3 Sampling

(Travers, 1988) defines sampling as a cluster of individuals taken from a mass of people to be used
for measurement purposes. The researcher made use of purposive sampling as he used his own
judgment to choose who was to take part in the study from the entire population. For this
investigation, the researcher used purposive sampling which only focused on Social studies
teachers grades 4-7.

3.4 Data collection methods

The researcher chose to use intimate interviews; this was used with respondents, in this case, social
studies teachers. It allowed them to voice out their expressions and even opinions about the effects
of insufficient learning and teaching resources for social studies.

The investigator also used participant observations; in this case, the researcher observed the
selected learners in a classroom setting to see how the inadequacy of educational resources is
affecting them.

3.5. Data collection procedures

The researcher was accorded a letter of introduction by the University of Namibia, Katima Mulilo
Campus, the office of the student research coordinator through the supervisor to which the
reseacher was allotted, the letter served as a gateway for obtaining permission at the school where
this investigation was undertaken. The researcher scheduled a meeting with the chief of the school.
In the consultation , the reseacher briefed the school principla about the worthiness
of the study. Eventually, eventually, the researcher was given permission to interview the social
studies teachers and do observations in classes while adhering to the uppermost standards
of proficient behavior and honesty while carrying out an investigation. The teachers were alerted
that interviews are to be recorded using an electronic digital voice recorder to make it easier for
the analyst to write out the findings and make more connotations from them. All partakers were
guaranteed and informed that they shall remain anonymous throughout the interviewing process.

9
With observations, the researcher was physically present in classrooms to observe how the scarcity
of educational resources affects the pupil’s ability to learn in Social studies. To prevent repeating
questions, the questions that were posed to the partakers during the interviews were printed on a
sheet of paper before the interview process began.

All three teachers were probed and recorded in one working day; each interview session lasted for
at least 12 minutes.

3.6 Data Analysis

(McMillan, 2015) describes data analysis as the method of presenting and interpreting data or
information gathered by the researcher through interviews and observations in order to derive
meaning from it. The investigator first transcribed the interviews, the interviews yielded the
research data. The data was carefully scrutinized and themes were formed using the research
questions, the analyst listened to the tape voice recorder and transcribed the data, which was then
compared for analysis. The themes were determined by the study questions and the data that the
investigator acquired from the study partakers.

3.7. Research ethics

The University of Namibia, Katima Mulilo Campus, accorded the researcher with a letter of
introduction. The letter was submitted to the head of the school where the study was conducted in
order to obtain permission to gather data from the primary school teachers. Participants in the
research who were under the age of 18 had permission papers signed by their parents.

(Israel, 2015) says that “researchers should obey to the highest standards of professional conduct
and intellectual honesty when conducting the studies”. Participants who were chosen were treated
with the highest respect and dignity, and their legal rights were protected. Participants were
requested to sign an agreement form and partake in the study willingly. Nobody was forced to take
part in it. The participants were kept anonymous during the study. Names and other personal
information were not documented. Selected learners who partook in the study had consent forms
that were signed by their parents”

10
Summary

This section stipulated the custom in which this study was undertaken or conducted taking into
account the number of partakers in the study, data collection procedures, research design, and the
techniques used in data analysis. Research ethics were applied to ensure the complete anonymity
of participants. The study outcomes are presented in the next chapter.

11
 Chapter Four

Results/Findings
This chapter reviews the discoveries and qualitative data analysis, as well as the discussions on the
outcomes of this investigation. The results contain verbatim responses from the interviewed
respondents. The data was gathered extensively by means of face-to-face interviews that were
recorded and subsequently transcribed by the investigator. In an attempt to address the primary
research question “How does the inadequacy of instructive resources affect the instructional and
learning of Social studies” four sub-questions were probed to the respondents.

4.1 Demographic information of research participants

Table 4.1 Profiles of research partakers

Research participants Gender Year of appointment at
the school

Teacher X Male 2015

Teacher Y Male 2016
Teacher Z Male 2020

Table 4.1 above illustrates the information of people who took part in this study (Social studies
teachers). In order to ensure the anonymity of the respondents, their identity was maximally
protected by not publishing their actual names in any form, letters were employed to conceal the
identity of the participants. The table shows the research partakers' genders and the year they were
appointed at the school where this study was conducted.

4.1.2 Instructional and learning materials for Social studies existing at the school

Teachers as the research partakers were questioned to name the instructional and learning materials
that they have at their school for Social studies as a school subject, and their replies to this
interrogation were exactly transcribed as per their responses.

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Teacher X said that “I have textbooks for the latest curriculum, but they are not enough. At first,
the original number of textbooks that I received when the curriculum was changed in 2015 was
forty-three, but now that number decreased because the textbooks have been lost along the way.
These textbooks have been here for almost six years; I also have a globe; one globe which I use in
four classes plus one world map. I used to make use of a projector, but now the projector is no
longer functional, so as of now I just depend on the chalkboard”

Teacher Y stated that “The school has a shortage of learning materials in the sense that teachers
on many times they need to improvise but we have in stock currently are the flip charts, we also
have maps but at times when these materials are not available, we normally improvise and all in
all, what I can say is that we do not have adequate learning materials however educators need to
be resourceful to improvise for them to conduct proper teaching and learning”

Teacher Z voiced that “As for me I do not have enough learning materials; I mostly use charts
where I usually write notes for learners, I also have a world map and one African map that shows
all African countries, I have twenty-three platinum textbooks for Social studies but these are not
enough as learners have to share them whenever they are to be used in class, one magnet-based
compass used when learning about the directions, I also have one mercury-based thermometer”

4.1.3 Challenges confronted by teachers in the teaching of Social studies with inadequate
teaching resources.

Social studies educators were probed to share the difficulties they are facing within Social studies
with fewer instructional resources during their teaching progressions.

Teacher X stated that “In terms of textbooks when you give homework to learners, it becomes
almost impossible for the learners to do the homework because they are not allowed to go with
textbooks at home they just use the textbooks at school and the textbooks remain at school in the
case and this becomes a challenge to us as teachers because assessment is hindered as an outcome
of less learning resources, sometimes we refer learners into textbooks and it becomes hard for
them to know where to find the answers when given an activity to do in class”.

13
Teacher X continued to say that “In terms of preparations for tests since the textbooks are not
enough it becomes hard for the learners who do not have textbooks to go and study to prepare
themselves for the test or an assignment which is given by the teacher, this is one of the big
drawbacks we are experiencing, another encounter or problem is that due to unavailability of
these learning tools, I also encounter a problem when it comes to time management due to the fact
that I always have to make use of the chalkboard in everything for example I have to draw a map
on the chalkboard and later explain it to the class and most of the times, I have to continue with
such lessons the following day because I cannot do it in a single lesson all this time wasting is due
to having no or fewer resources we also experience boredom during teaching in a way that my
learners becomes listeners and I act the role of a speaker in class as I have to explain each and
every aspect to make them fully comprehend the lesson and as a result of continuous speaking in
class ,boredom develops because there are fewer learning resources to fully engage the learners
in the learning proceedings”

Teacher Y responded by saying that “For any proper teaching and learning to take place there
should be adequate teaching and learning materials, in the absence of these materials, you will
find that some learners will be unable to comprehend the lesson in detail so that in itself it’s a
challenge because if teachers are not resourceful they will end up teaching the content without
being in the real class where learners can see for themselves, and that’s in itself if materials are
not adequate in class or teachers are not resourceful learners will have problems at the end
because they are not going to understand the topic better and that in itself it’s a challenge we are
experiencing during the teaching and learning of social studies with the few learning materials we
have because some learners can only understand when learning materials are being brought in
class without these materials it becomes a challenge and that is one of the major problems we
normally experience. I’m currently teaching Social studies in grade four these are young ones that
rely too much on visual things but these materials are not in class indeed there is always a problem
because some cannot comprehend or understand the topic in detail, sometimes I find myself
skipping certain learning objectives as they appear in the syllabus, this always so because of
having less appropriate learning resources and sometimes there totally no suitable learning
resources for intended planned lesson”

14
Teacher Z said that “I find it difficult and challenging during lesson presenting with less learning
materials , most of my lessons tend to be of teacher centered approach as I’m the one dominating
and contributing in class by means of talking to the learners and all they do is to listen and to me
and as a result of having few learning materials my learners are sometimes are not engaged in
class discussions I also find it difficult to emphasis important points especially when on the
climatology topic, where learners had to learn about weather instruments and how they work but
they do not get this learning objective because our school does not have these learning resources
, with the present epidemic of COVID-19 even find it more tougher to conduct proper teaching
and guidance in class because learning resources are limited and learners cannot share these
resources due to the set guidelines of COVID-19 keeping 1.5 meters between learners have also
disadvantaged us as teachers to deliver well in class with fewer resources we have , and
collaborative learning is no longer embraced in class environment due to less learning resources
and the eruption of COVID-19”

4.1.4 Consequences of insufficient learning resources on learners

Teachers were asked to divulge what they think are the consequences of insufficient learning
resources on their learners.

Teacher X responded that “Insufficient learning resources yields into insufficient knowledge to the
learners since they do not go with the textbooks to their homes and this limits their knowledge for
example when they want to study at home and get more knowledge about Social studies, learners
do not have such a chance because mostly they depend on their summaries and sometimes studying
the summaries is boring; some summaries and notes expect the learners to see the picture itself
and what the summary is trying to talk about and in my opinion this yields into insufficient
knowledge. Especially in class its challenge when you pose a question in class as a teacher,
sometimes the learners do not know what to answer because they do not have textbooks and the
answers are found in the textbooks so as result learners do not participate, as we know right now
we are faced with the situation of Corona and the textbooks cannot be shared, it’s also a
challenge”

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Teacher Y went on to say that “If we do not have adequate teaching materials in class, we won’t
build a strong child; a child who learns with skills at the end of the day as they will not learn some
competencies. In other words, due to the lack of these materials learners performs very badly at
the same time they might be unable to comprehend or to complete or rather understand some of
the basic competencies that are outlined in the syllabus so as the result if learners are unable to
grasp these essential activities in class, those children might end up not finishing their school, they
might finish school but at the same time they might be lacking the knowledge and skills that they
can implement in their daily activities, so if these things are not put in place even though teachers
are being trained to be resourceful learners at the end of the day are going to suffer the costs of
not getting what is required of them at the same time they might not even cross over to tertiary
institutions because if learners are not properly grounded or properly taught at the primary and
secondary level, they are going to experience a problem when it comes to further their studies. If
the lesson is not conducive or not good for the learners, these learners might decide not to like the
subject completely, they might decide even to absent themselves from the subject because they are
not grasping what is being taught in class and for a child to master the content that is taught in
class there must be that interaction between the learner and the teacher, if a learner is unable to
comprehend what is being taught in class their relationship is going to be poor and the learner
might not like the subject, they might also not like the teacher and in the process, there will be a
disconnection and learners might end dropping out or either miss the classes because the subject
does not have the necessary teaching materials and that in itself might damage the future of the
child”

Teacher Z outlined that “As the result of not having abundant learning resources and learners not
interacting with these materials in class, they might end up not acquiring the skills and knowledge
they are required to grasp. When learners do not get the basic competencies the failure rate in the
subject increases and due to the insufficiency of these educational resources learners not
interacting with these resources, they will end up being passive and may not be able to lively
participate in class and learners becomes demoralized and begins to have negative attitudes
towards the subject, due to the inadequacy of these educational resources some learners may start
to hate the subject and the teacher as the learners feel that the teacher does not know how to
teach”

16
4.1.5 Results/ finding from class observations

The researcher was physically present in schoolrooms to witness how the shortage of instructive
resources distresses the learner's aptitude to learn in social studies, outcomes of the observations
were noted in bullet points. Observations were conducted throughout the three-month stay for
teaching practicals at the school.

• “It was observed that learners do not enthusiastically participate in class because they do
not have equivalent access to the instructional materials, they share the resources”
• “It was also witnessed that the learner’s capability to learn is hindered by sharing the
resources as some learners do not like sharing materials and this is a barrier to cooperative
learning”
• “Observations revealed learners’ performance in tests was bad as they rely on summaries
given on the chalkboard to prepare for tests”

4.1.6 Suggestions to rectify the issue of inadequacy of instructive materials

Social studies teachers as the exploration participants and interviewees of this study were probed
to give suggestions and recommendations on how best to handle the dilemma of insufficiency of
instructive resources for Social studies.

Teacher X said that “We are waiting from the government as the main provider of resources to
buy or bring textbooks for us. I suggest that the government must buy more textbooks for the
learners. Not just textbooks, we need more other learning materials like maps. As a school, we can
also request donations from businesses and NGOs if letters can be written following the right
procedures requesting learning materials that can also help. As teachers, we can buy more
materials from our pockets so that we support a Namibian child.”

17
Teacher Y outlined that “I think what can be suggested there is that on a circuit level teachers
should always be brought in, those who teach Social studies for week they can sit down as a cluster
and then try to come up with some resources that can be used in their classrooms but at the same
time another thing that can be implemented is by inviting experts in the field in thought of having"
“mini workshops so the teachers can be taught on how to improvise in the absence of any teaching
materials, by improvising learners will be able to comprehend or understand the lessons better.
Teachers are advised to try to bring reality in class by improvising. In a situation where learners
are learning about the past, you can bring in an old man who witnessed some of the events that
took place, bring them in class to come and explain what occurred in the events”

Teacher Z stated that “There are numerous ways to handle this condition, the school management
can sacrifice to buy educational materials from the money they receive from the government, us
as teachers can try to collaborate with other teachers from different schools and share the
resources among our schools. Parents as school stakeholders can aid to solve this problem by
donating money to the school to acquire more learning materials. Lastly, I suggest that the
government should give subsidies to schools in order to help in obtaining these resources. The
government should also try by all means to avail these learning resources to schools”

Summary

This section presented the discoveries and the analysis of the study outcomes, it contains the
responses from Social studies teachers and how they responded to the sub research questions with
the intent of responding the main investigation question. Sub-questions were changed into themes.
The succeeding section discusses about the findings of this investigation, it also shows results of
the previous investigations which teams up with the results of this study with the intent of adding
to the existing literature.

18
 Chapter 5

Discussions

This section presents discussions of the discoveries of this research; it also shows results of
the previous investigations ,that were done by other writers and researchers which join forces with with the result
.

5.1 Availability of instructional materials

The findings of this investigation discovered that indeed the school does not have enough
instructional and learning materials. Social studies teachers as partakers in the study disclosed that
they have fewer resources to use for effective learning and lesson presentation, and all of them
have similar learning materials such as flip charts and maps. However, the outcomes of this
investigation revealed the latest curriculum textbooks for Social studies are very scarce, and this
poses a serious challenge on educators throughout their teaching progressions and also limits and
barricades the learners’ learning aptitudes, and this matches with the literature and finding in
(Nelson, 2006).

5.2 Problems confronted by teachers due to the lack of instructional materials in the teaching
processes

This investigation revealed that social studies teachers encounter various challenges during their
teaching with inadequate instructional resources. Two teachers noted that they find it hard and
boring to teach with less and sometimes no teaching resources, teachers find it tough to clarify
important aspects in their lessons with the scarceness of instructional materials and this goes hand
in hand with the writings of (Marzano & Brown, 2009) which says that teaching is entertaining
and fascinating when educational resources are plenty and teaching without adequate instructional
materials results in incompetence and boredom in educators. Besides that, the study results also
revealed that teachers face challenges with time management because more time is spent on
clarification of every lesson aspect in detail as learners do not have access to learning materials to
save time. Moreover, as the results of the interpretations showed, teachers find it hard to finish
their lessons within the stipulated durations or periods.

19
5.3 Consequences of insufficient instructional materials on learners

The discoveries of this study disclosed that learners are facing serious glitches in learning due to
the insufficiency of instructional materials. All the teachers vocalized that learners find it difficult
to comprehend the lessons in full due to the shortage of teaching materials and that it results in
inadequate knowledge of the subject in learners, and this is comparable to a study carried out by
(Recker, 2007) that revealed that instructive resources are valuable because they can help learners
to achieve higher levels of success by facilitating their learning. The study findings from the Social
studies teachers have shown learners tend to hate the subject as well as the teacher because learning
becomes boring to learners as they have to listen to the teacher's plain speeches while elucidating
the lesson in class without the learners been dynamically involved in the learning by the use of
instructional resources and this results in boredom and disliking of the subjects and the writings of
(Recker, 2007) illustrates that learning becomes more interesting, practical, rational, and appealing
when educational materials are used. They also make it possible for both teachers and learners to
engage fully and successfully in class.

The study findings also divulged that the school pupil’s academic performance is very poor in
Social studies due to the inadequacy of instructional materials, teachers vocalized that as the result
of this scarcity of instructional resources learners performs severely badly, as their learning
aptitudes are limited by the lack of instructional materials such as textbooks, which learners have
to share every time in class during the instructional proceedings, this correlates with the works of
(Kopp, 2017) who expressed that instructional materials can help learners to attain better grades
and high academic performance, learners gain valuable knowledge through intermingling with
instructional materials.

5.4 Suggestions to rectify the issue of inadequacy of instructive materials

The upshots of this investigation have shown that there are numerous ways of handling which were
put into as proposals in the form of ideas by the Social studies educators, they had put suggestions
such as the government to avail more instructional materials such as textbooks. Social studies
educators to use funds from their pockets to acquire essential instructive tools such as globes from
their own coffers. Parents to assist the school with assistance in money form in order to obtain
these learning materials. They also recommended that school administrators in collaboration with

20
Social studies teachers can write letters to NGOs requesting aid with instructional materials in any
form. Lastly, it was proposed that teachers should be resourceful and improvise by using natural
and cheap instructional material of which some are attainable for free from their surroundings this
relates to the writings of (Garner, 2009) who stated that teachers can use economical instructive
materials and in this case, social studies teachers can elect and use inexpensive teaching or
educational materials, paintings, and community resources such as charts, handouts, and flip
charts.

Summary

This section has deeply conferred the discoveries of this investigation in relation to the literature
reviews existing by utilizing results in previous works and studies with related literature conducted
out by other scholars. The succeeding section focuses on the summary, conclusion, and
recommendations of this study.

21
 Chapter 6

Summary, conclusion and recommendations

This studies focal objective was to investigate the effects of inadequate instructional materials on
both educators and learners, and this section presents the summary, conclusions, and
recommendations of this study with the intent to make the end readers understand the outcomes of
this study. The study was conducted at one primary school in the Zambezi region and three social
studies teachers, classroom observations yielded the discoveries of this study.

6.1 Summary of the study results

Below are the sub-research questions were probed to the Social studies teachers with the intent of
responding the main study question.

I. What do you have at this school as instructional and learning materials?

II. What problems are confronted by teachers in the teaching process of Social studies with
inadequate teaching resources?
III. What, in your opinion, are some of the consequences of insufficient teaching materials on
your learners?
IV. What do you suggest could be done to rectify the issue?

6.1.2 What do you have at this school as instructional and learning materials?

The findings of this study divulged that social studies as a far-reaching school subject do not have
sufficient instructional materials to be used by both teachers and learners. The teachers have similar
instructive materials such as maps and charts, but they are very limited. Social studies latest
curriculum textbooks are in severe shortage as they form part of instructive materials.

6.1.3 What problems are confronted by teachers in the teaching process of Social studies with
inadequate teaching resources?

Based on the outcomes of this study, it was noted that teachers face a lot of challenges such as the
development of boredom, problems of time management, and skipping on basic competencies as

22
a result of the inadequacy of instructive resources. They also find it hard to explain certain aspects
with plain talking without the use of instructional resources.

6.1.4 What, in your opinion, are some of the consequences of insufficient teaching materials
on your learners?

The findings of this study divulged that insufficiency of instructional material has serious glitches
on learners such as learners’ high failure rate of the subject, learners hating the subject and its
teacher as a result of dissatisfaction caused by the lack of these learning materials. Lastly,
insufficiency of instructive materials yields to inadequate knowledge of learners in the subject
leading to poor participation in class.

6.1.5 What do you suggest could be done to rectify the issue?

Research partakers as Social studies teachers proposed numerous ways to handle the challenge of
the inadequacy of educational materials. All the participants suggested that the government should
invest and spend more in acquiring instructional materials such as textbooks, and parents should
assist in monetary donations for the school to obtain instructive materials.

6.2 Conclusion

The investigator encountered a lot of trials and tribulations, specifically during the data collection
process, whereby the investigator had gone numerous times to school due to tight teacher
timetables, some of the research partakers found it hard to slot the research in their busy schedules.
The researcher, however, flourished in carrying out the gathering of data, and the results of this
investigation revealed that the inadequacy of instructional materials poses serious glitches on
teaching in their instructional progressions. Moreover, the outcomes of this study revealed that
learners lively class involvement is deprived by the inadequacy of instructional materials and,
therefore, rapid supply of instructive materials would enhance a learner’s classroom performance,
which results in better grades as the learner’s aptitude to learn is boosted by more educational
resources.

23
6.3 Recommendations

Recommendations of this study are directed at school managers, the government, teachers together
with parents as school stakeholders to team up and tackle insufficiency instructional resources as
it affects teachers capacities to impart knowledge and indispensable skills in learners, and learners
ability to grasp more knowledge is put in a barricade as a result of the scarcity of instructional
materials and therefore this study puts out the recommendations as follows to tackle the problems
brought by the inadequacy of educational materials in schools.

i. The MoE should invest in education by spending more in acquiring instructional

resources such as the globes and the latest Social studies which are the scarcest ones in
schools, the MoE should also give financial subsidy to schools to tackle the situation of
inadequacy of instructive resources.
ii. Teachers should able to improvise through using natural resources in their surroundings
and capitalize by making valuable learning materials out of them, teachers should make
instructive materials from natural resources found within their environments, and this
will help to relief the problem of instructive materials.
iii. School managers should seek help by procedurally writing to the outside world and NGO’s
requesting for assistance with instructional materials with an intent of solving the issue of
insufficiency of instructional materials.
iv. Parents as stakeholders of the school society should assist schools by making monetary
donations in order to acquire more learning materials for learners, this will help to ease the
financial burden on the MoE in obtaining instructive materials.

Summary

This chapter summarized the findings, also gave recommendations together with conclusions. The
summary of discoveries emphasized some of the study outcomes based on the responses of the
sub-research questions that were probed to the research participants. Moreover, the conclusion is
yielded by the discussions of the results, the summary of results also stressed the negative effects
of the inadequacy of instructional materials to both educators and school learners. Finally, on the
basis of the results of the investigation, the research recommendations were created.

24
References

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Press.
Cohen, L. (2018). Research Methods in Education. London: Routledge.
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Dangara, Y. (2016). Research on Humanities and Social Sciences. Educational Resources: An
Integral Component for Effective School Administration in Nigeria, 11.
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Garner, M. (2009). Teaching Research Methods in the Social Sciences. Beijing: Routledge.
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KOPP, K. (2017). Teaching Social Studies Today (2nd ed.). Huntington: Shell Education.
Lung, J. (2016). Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning. New Jersy:
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Marzano, R., & Brown, J. (2009). A Handbook for the Art and Science of Teaching. Virginia U.S:
ASCD(Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development ).
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Merriam, S. (1988). Case Study Research in Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishing.
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Sage Publications.
Ndirangu, C. (2010). Teaching Methodology. Nairobi: African Virtual University Press.
Nelson, G. (2006). Breaking the Learning Barrier for Underachieving Students: Practical
Teaching Strategies for Dramatic Results. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
Recker, M. (2007, 12 07). A study of teachers’ use of online learning resources to design classroom
activities. Retrieved from Tand:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13614560701709846
Schunk, D. (1990). Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective. Cape Town: Pearson.
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Thornton, S. (2005). Teaching Social Studies that Matters: Curriculum for Active Learning. New
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 Appendices

Appendix 1: Letter of introduction

27
Appendix 2: Research questionnaire

28
 Appendix 3: Research project progress form

KMC Undergraduate Research Project Progress Form/timeline 2021

To be signed by the student & supervisor
(This form must be submitted together with the plagiarism report and the marked project)

Student name & Number: Sakusita Macline Sinvula 201503363

Research project topic: An investigation on the effects of inadequate educational resources for Social studies at a selected
primary school in Katima circuit.

Proposal sections and due Proposed date Date submitted Student signature Supervisor signature
dates

Topic approved: Latest March 15, 2021 18/03/21

Proposal approved & 25/03/2021 19/04/21

submitted:

Chapter one approved & Students should complete chapters 10/05/21

submitted: 1,2 and 3before May 20, 2021

Chapter two approved & 10/05/21

submitted:

Chapter three approved & 10/05/21

submitted:

Data collected: Data collection should be done 15/06/21

before students return from SBS.

Chapter four approved & June 30, 2021 24/06/21

submitted:

Chapter five approved & July20, 2021 30/07/21

submitted:

Chapter six approved & August 15, 2021 02/08/21

submitted:

Students are encouraged to submit their final projects to their supervisors before September 15, 2021

Supervisors should mark and submit a soft copy of the research project and a marking rubric to the coordinator’s new email for undergraduate
research projects. The students’ marks will be put on portal between October 18 and 22, 2021. Lecturers should communicate this timeline to their
students.

29
Appendix 4: Plagiarism report (20% or less)

30
Appendix 5: Research consent forms

31
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