Availability and Utilization of Instructional Facilities as Correlates of Adult Learners’ Academic Performance in Lead City University Oyo state, Nigeria

Abstract

The concept of adult learner connotes freedom of choice to the type of learning instructions, materials and processes through which the individual wishes to acquire the skills needed to function in his daily activities. It is against this background that adult education which is adult inclined, adult-directed and motivated is supposed to empower adult learners to take control of their own education. Since the overriding aim of all educational provision for adults is to help the learners become independent, so that the learners plan and carry out their own purposeful learning, the instructor is to encourage the learners to engage in the exercise of autonomy during the educational process. The populations of the study is constituted by 230 adult learners and 20 lecturers in three faculties in Lead City University, Ibadan. Two instruments were used for the study, they were Adult Learners’ Assessment Instruments (ALAI) and Lecturers’ Assessment Instrument (LAI). The reliability for Adult Learners Assessment Instruments (ALAI) was r= 0.85 while Lecturers Assessment Instrument (LAI) was r= 0.86 t test on difference between Teaching qualification and the use of instructional materials in teaching adult learners shows t=1.06 at p > 0.05, t test on difference between the use of instructional materials and adult learners’ learning process shows t= 4.89 at p < 0.05,, t-test on difference between problems associated with the use of instructional materials and reasons why teachers do not use instructional materials shows t=7.958 at p< 0.05. Thus, it was concluded that the lecturers should be encouraged to use and try to improvise instructional materials for effective teaching in the University.

Keywords: Adult learners, andragogy, instructional materials, teaching, visual aids.