Abstract:
Instructional materials are tools and devices that are used to facilitate teaching and learning processes more understandable to the learner. The purpose of this study was to examine the Instructional materials preparation and Utilization in Secondary Schools of West Shoa Zone.
To this end, mixed research approaches and descriptive case study research design were used to examine and describe preparation and utilization of instructional materials in the study area. Primary data were collected by using questionnaires from 212 teachers selected randomly (using lottery methods) and analyzed by using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Interviews were conducted with purposively selected school principals. Participant and non-participant observation during work and data collection from these secondary schools were conducted. Also to triangulate data obtained through questionnaires and Key informant interviews, document analysis were conducted.
The study indicated that, instructional material preparation was not adequately carried out in the study area. Even, in some secondary schools, there were no most important instructional materials in laboratories (such as Chemicals) and libraries like computers. On utilization, the finding of the study showed that, there is no effective utilization of available instructional educational materials in the study area. So based on these finding, researcher recommended that, West Shoa Education Bureau, Woreda education bureau and school directors have to work jointly to provide instructional materials by allocating budget to these secondary schools and West Shoa Education Bureau have to give special training for West Shoa secondary schools principals to enhance their instructional material utilization capacity in their schools.
