THE INFLUENCE OF PLAY METHOD ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PUPILS IN NUSERY SCHOOLS IN OREDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT, EDO STATE

ABSTRACT

The study examines the influences of play on the academic performance of nursery pupils. The purpose of this study was to find how effective play based learning is to the teaching and learning process; the challenges faced by teachers in implementing play based learning. To achieve this, four research questions were raised. Descriptive survey design was used for the study, the population of this study consisted of all the teachers in nursery schools in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, the sample size of this study was 60 teachers. The instrument used for data collection was the questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire was ascertained using test-retest method. Thereafter the Pearson product moment coefficient (Pearson) was used to determine it’s level of reliability. A correlation coefficient of 0.70 was obtained and it showed that the instrument was reliable. Based on the findings, the researcher concluded that play significantly influences the academic performance of nursery school pupils and the challenges faced by teachers in implementing play based learning. Consequently, the researcher recommended that play should be recognized and valued by all stakeholders concerned with the academic performance of pupils. It was suggested that the school teacher should see need to implement play based learning into daily teaching and learning process; Parents should be educated on the importance of play so as to encourage and support play activities.