Instructional Materials and Academic Performance of Science Students in Secondary Schools, West District Zanzibar, Tanzania

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study is to establish the effect of instructional materials on the academic performance of science students in west district Zanzibar, Tanzania. The study objectives included to establish the instructional materials being used for teaching in school the second objective was to assess the academic performance of students in science subjects and finally to establish the relationship between the use of instructional materials and academic performance of science subjects. The data was collected using the interview guide and questionnaire from 324 respondents based on closed ended and the main research instrument of the study. The researcher will Survey research design in this study. Primary data on certain characters among the randomly selected sampling from the target population who are located at various points in the study area will be selected. The study findings reveal that instruction materials used was generally rated as low and this was indicated by the overall mean of 2.441 and this critically implies that the instruction materials usage in the schools of west district in Zanzibar are low. On the second objective the academic performance of students in science subjects in the secondary schools is generally low (overall mean=2.398). On the third objective results in indicated a positive relationship between Instruction materials and academic performance of students in science subjects. The study conclude that there is inadequate usage of instruction materials laboratory equipment while audio visual aids of textbooks, reference books, maps and globes in schools under investigation. On the second objective the findings conclude that the performance of the students in sciences is poor especially in the national examinations. On the third objective, never the less there was a relationship between instruction materials and academic performance of the students in the schools. The study objective one recommend that government of Tanzania to ensure that, the increase of students in the schools should commensurate with the number of instructional materials allocated in each school. On the second objective, the teaching of science in secondary school should be conducted in a manner that students will effectively understand and learn the concept taught. On the third objective, School principals should provide science teachers with enabling environment for the use of available instructional material to gives room for participatory studentship and make learning more meaningful.