ASSESSMENT ON FACTORS WHICH HINDERING THE PREPARATION AND UTILIZATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR GEOMETRY INSTRUCTION IN HADIYA ZONE ENSIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS, ETHIOPIA

This study was aimed to examine the assessment of factors that hinder schools, mathematics teachers and students to prepare, organize and utilize instructional materials (IMs) for geometry instruction. It was also focused on examining the relationship between condition of working environment (CWE), teachers’ service year, qualification, and attitude towards instructional materials (TAIM). The study was conducted on ten (10) woredas of Hadiya Zone. To meet the purpose of the study, woredas were categorized as urban and rural. Subjects included students (240), mathematics teachers (41), school directors (10), Heads of wereda education bureau (10), Head of the zonal education beurea (01). To collect the data four types of instruments were developed namely: interview, questionnaire, focus group discussion and observational checklist. To accomplish the goal of this study, descriptive survey of both qualitative and quantitative approach were employed. Percentage (%), Chi-square (χ2) and Correlation (r) techniques were the main statistical tools for quantitative data analysis. Furthermore, narrative method of analysis was used for qualitative data. The finding revealed that the major factors which hinder the preparation and utilization of IMs were luck of opportunity teachers’ participating on workshop/seminar, absence of forming committee for evaluation of IMs, lack of standard SPC and professional trainee SPCC, low support and encouragement of school directors; and no room of creating of discussion and weak measurement taken to IMs production/ utilization by concerned body. Though teachers work in a poor environment, mathematics teachers have good attitude towards IMs. Moreover, the result of the study shows that service year has no relationship with CWE and TAIM (r=0.246, p>0.05) and (r=0.033, p>0.05), respectively. Additionally, the study showed that there is a significant difference (χ2=7.049, df =1, p<0.05) on measurement taken (follow up) by concerned bodies about the production and preparation of IMs. It reveals that concerned bodies of schools in urban location take necessary measurement better than schools in rural location. Furthermore, the result of the study shows that there were inadequate IMs for geometry instruction in all sample schools of Hadiya Zone; and all sample schools of this Zone do not allocate any budget for the production of IMs.