Instructional television and Nigerian students’ learning experiences: case for LASUBEB English language TV programmes

ABSTRACT


Introduction
The prominence of literacy in lifting people out of darkness, bondage and ignorance has been recognised over the years. According to Njoku et al. (2020), literacy is a potent tool for combating insufficiency and the sole mode to prepare children for adulthood and lifts them off the life of dependency. It is in realization of this that Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) enacted a decree that permanent literacy, numeracy and the ability to communicate effectively be instilled in Nigerian pupils. High level of literacy is tantamount to high level of development while low literacy level corresponds with underdevelopment.
Concerted efforts have been made in the remote past to promote literacy in Nigeria by both governmental and non-governmental organizations. One of the major weapons used to promote literacy in the remote past was television (Kannadasan et al., 2019, Nkwam-Uwaoma & Onu, 2017. Television (hence, TV) was used to combat mass illiteracy in Nigeria. The then Western Regional Government in Nigeria in 1959 started the western Nigeria television which later became a surrogate teacher for people living in rural areas (Folarin, 1998cited in Nwagbara & Nwammuo, 2013. Since then, educational television programmes have contributed to the educational development of Nigerians; musing teachers, artists, scientists and millions of students who may not have the opportunity to receive the formal kind of education. Educational Television programmes are, however, different from instructional TV which is the focus of this study. In his classification, Vicente (2020) considers TV programmes designed for didactic objective and mass literacy as educational TV while instructional television programmes are specific and formal; developed in an institutional context. A broadcast technology like instructional television plays a particularly important role in instruction delivery (Watson & Mclntyre, 2020) because it provides learners with large amounts of authentic, spoken L2 input when compared to reading (Webb, 2015;Cobb, 2007).
In Nigeria, the use of instructional TV gained prominence during COVID -19 pandemic. As a means to curtail the spread of COVID-19 virus, government around the globe, Nigerian government inclusive, imposed School-from-Home policy for all levels of education. This unprecedented development had far-reaching effects on both the students and the teachers who were caught unaware. Switching from the aged long tradition of teaching within the four walls of classroom to an online learning became an issue to contend with. As at when the lockdown policy was made, there were no existing infrastructures to support an online learning in most of the Nigerian public schools. Thus, TV instructional programmes became the only viable means to reach millions of students who have been forced out of schools in Nigeria.
To engage the students during the lockdown, Nigerian ministry of education in collaboration with radio and television stations designed series of academic programmes for pupils and students of nursery, primary and secondary levels which are broadcast over the network (Shuaibu & Muhyideen, 2018). These educational programmes are handled by experienced tutors who deliver the lessons on media channels and broadcast over the network that would reach wider audience across major cities, towns and villages across the country (Ocharo & Karani, 2020). LASUBEB CLASSROOM-IN-YOUR-HOME was one of these programmes designed to teach pupils and students from the enclave of their homes in Nigeria.
LASUBEB TV programmes are anchored by the Lagos state government through its ministry of education known as State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB). School subject such as English language, mathematics and civic education were aired from Monday -Sunday on LAGOS TELEVISION (LTV), DSTV CHANNEL 256, STARTIMES CHANNEL 113 and GOTV CHANNEL 90 respectively. This measure was taken by the Nigerian government to ensure that educational activities continue even in the face of Covid-19 realities. This afforded school children the opportunity to listen and watch educational contents all and other co-curricular activities that could enhance their academic developments.
With the outbreak of COVID-19, a global pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in many nations of the world, stakeholders in education devised a means of assisting of learners at different levels of education to gain lost time and complete their studies. Different online teaching was adopted. In Nigeria, educational TV (or Instructional TV) programmes have some time been used to complement classroom teaching. During the lockdown, the educational TV became amplified for obvious reason -literacy development of Nigerian children. However, some pertinent questions that beg for answers are: how do we determine the effectiveness of instructional TV? How do we know if learning has taken place and if at all, how much of that did students utilize for positive academic achievement? This study, therefore, examines LASUBEB English Language TV Instructional programmes and secondary school students' learning strategies in Lagos State, Nigeria.
The following research questions guide this study: 1. What are strategies employed by secondary school students in Lagos state, Nigeria to learn from LASUBEB TV programmes? 2. Will instructional TV assessment mode influence the students' attitudes towards LASUBEB TV class assessments? 3. What are the students' perceptions of LASUBEB English language TV instructors and instructions?

Method
The study adopts descriptive research design of the survey type. The population for the study comprises of all secondary school students in Lagos State, Nigeria. Through simple and random sampling technique, two hundred and four students living across Ikorodun, Mushin, Berger and Isolo in Lagos, Nigeria were selected for the study. The study ensured that the interest of the students was protect through adhering to the ethical principles as pointed out by Bell and Bryman (2007).
The instrument for the study was a self-structured questionnaire titled: TV Programmes and Students' Learning Strategies (TVPSLS). The instrument has three parts: the first part sought information regarding the efforts students make to get the best of teaching from LASUBEB TV programmes; the second parts sought information regarding the attitudes of students towards LASUBEB TV class works and assignments while the items on the third part sought information regarding issues revolving around LASUBEB TV teachers. Items on the questionnaire are based on 4-point rating scale. Prior to the administration of the instrument, it was tested on ten (10) school students in Ondo west, Ondo state in order to determine its reliability. The results r-0.78 shows that the instrument is reliable. The research questions were answered using descriptive statistics of mean and Standard Deviation. For the purpose of this study, a mean value of 2.5 was set as a benchmark for decision making. The mean value of 2.5 and above indicates Agree while the one below indicates Disagree.

Secondary school students' strategies in Nigeria to learn English from LASUBEB TV programmes
TV has proven to be a potentially powerful tool for educational change and reform. According to Garba (2015), developed and developing countries use television programmes to assist weak students. He maintained that when weak students watch educational TV programmes, their knowledge of English, Chemistry and French and other subjects are sharpened and improved. Instructional TV, generally, thus, serves as a vehicle for transmitting, enriching learning opportunities to students and at the same time, a tool to activate critical thinking skills of students since at a point, in the course of TV instructions, learners would be compelled to think and reflect critically on what they have been taught. Therefore, education has gone digital and today, some schools now cram the whole curriculum on a digital video which allows students to work from home via television or computer synchronously or asynchronously (Shuaibu & Muhyideen, 2018 Table 1 shows the strategies employed by secondary school students in Lagos state, Nigeria to learn from LASUBEB TV programmes. The result shows that [X 2.86] LASUBEB TV programmes are usually boring and a significant number of secondary school students within the state do not bother to tune in to channels where these educational programmes are aired. Even the few students that tune-in to LASUBEB TV programmes do not make any efforts to maximize what they are being taught on TV. The result indicates that students do not consult their parents/guardians [X 1.11] nor their English language textbooks [X 1.04] neither surf the internet for clarifications on what they have been taught. These results show that students do not exert any efforts to learn from LASUBEB instructional TV programmes. Research question one sought to find out the strategies of secondary school students in Lagos state, Nigeria employed to learn from LASUBEB TV. The result shows that students were not motivated and therefore did not adopt any strategy to learn from LASUBEB instructional TV. As revealed in the study, little efforts such as parent/guardian consultations [X 1.11], text consultations [X 1.04] and internet search which are indices of commitments and seriousness were neglected by the students. This neglection may not be unconnected with the fact that the instruction as presented on the TV was monotonous and uninteresting to the viewer. Therefore, children, as we know it, according to Ofodu (2012), are by default very active and can hardly be kept and made to learn in monotonous and boring classroom situations. In view of this, Olumorin et al. (2018) suggested that television programmes should be fun filled and be related to real life situations in order to captivate the minds of the learners.
what they are being taught compliments what they learn in school or when knowledge is useful and provides a means of achieving a desired goal. However, learning in which students do not have interest, rather than encouraging their participation, it discourages them. To get the best out of instructional TV, it is expedient the organizer of such programme provides a platform for the interaction of learners in groups.
Instructional television can be categorized into four types: total Television teaching -in this context, the entire instructional presentation is done by television. The students receiving this type of instruction have the responsibility of entirely complementing the presentation with the other means necessary for learning (Janah, 2021). This type of instruction may not be suitable for underage learners as they may not be able to take responsibilities for their learning. The second type is supplemented television teaching. In this setting, instructional TV is merely used for demonstration of lectures, illustrated lectures, and laboratory demonstrations (Janah, 2021).
Supplemented instructional TV, therefore, are supplemented with group discussion, laboratory periods, drill sessions or supervised practice. The third type is television as a supplementing instruction. In this category, teachers teaches while an Instructional TV programme merely enrich and compliments the instructions students have received in the classroom. LASUBEB TV can be subsumed under this category. The fourth type is television as a teaching aid. According to Janah (2021, p. 79), "the primary purpose of this instruction is to provide a better opportunity for students to observe under more optimum conditions permitting closer and more varied observation". Within the context of this study, television is used to facilitate students' understanding of a discourse in view. Television for this purpose, therefore, exists side by side with other instructional aids in the classroom.

Impact of instructional TV assessment mode on students' attitudes towards LASUBEB TV
Assessment is a central element in any educational programme. It shows in grades, scores, aptitudes and skills what students have acquired during a course of a programme. Obioma et al. (2013) are of the opinion that feedbacks from students' educational assessment do not only inform us about the progress of learners in a systematic way, but also an index of the quality of teaching and learning that has taken place during the course of a programme.  Table 2 demonstrates that the attitudes of students towards LASUBEB TV class assessments. The mean values of [2.1, 1.2, 1.09, 1.8 and 1.8] shows that students have carefree attitudes towards assessment given by LASUBEB TV. Due to the fact that there are no platforms where assessors (LASUBEB TV teachers) meet the students, they, thus, see those assessments as a sheer waste of time since no one provides feedbacks on their performance.
Research question two showed the attitudes of students towards LASUBEB TV class assessments. The result indicated that students have carefree attitudes towards assessment given by LASUBEB TV instructors. This may not be isolated from the fact that there are no assessment platforms where assessors (LASUBEB TV Teachers) meet the assesse (the students). Thus, the students see those assessments as a sheer waste of time since no one grades them. The finding of this study is in consonance with study of Zacharia (2022) who maintained in her study that assessing the educational programmes impact in terms of students' learning is tricky due to the mode of education delivery. In Pakistan where the study of Zacharia was conducted, the TeleSchool team used text messaging to assess student learning and engagement in the short term.
In the same vein, the study of Jimaa (2011) confirmed the significant of assessment in any learning related activity which LASUBEB neglected. She found out that students' learning responses and assessment correlated positively. Therefore, Wormeli (2011) suggested that students should be made to submit and re-do assignments when need be. Through this process, teachers prepare students for the working world given that the world is imperfect, redoing, retaking and doing over are the activities that have refined the world. Musingafi et al. (2015) found out in their study that lack of feedbacks from students forces them to submit online assignments that are not properly written and they are likely to get to examinations without self-preparation which made a lot of them to fail given examinations. This is because when a teacher teaches and asks question or gives a task, students' response would show how much has been learnt. It would give the students the opportunities for self-examination while instilling confidence on those who have already formed the habit.
Basically, an assessment is used to understand the state or condition of learning. According to Amua-Sekyi (2016, p. 1), "an assessment is regarded as all activities that teachers and students undertake to get information that can be used to alter teaching and learning. These includes: teachers' observations and analysis of students' work (homework, tests, essays, reports, practical procedures and classroom discussion of issues etc.)". Through these means, teachers can have a handy information on what students may know or may not know; even the extent of comprehension or misinterpretations.
Assessment in the form of tests, homework, assignments, etc. provides feedbacks to teachers about his/her methods of teaching and information on the extent to which the set learning objectives have been achieved. LASUBEB Instructional TV programmes as a teachinglearning activity do not take cognizance of the fact the students who are their audience need to be assessed. Tutors on TV programmes only dish out information to the students without knowing whether he/she is stimulating his/her students or confusing them or sending them into torpor. More worryingly, his/her students cannot ask questions. In view of the foregoing, this study examines LASUBEB TV Instructional programmes and secondary school students' learning strategies in Lagos State, Nigeria.
As laudable as instructional TV seems, the place of assessments is significantly lacking. In Nigeria, for instance, instructional TV as used by Lagos State Government to drive home the polity of engaging the students beyond the four walls of the classrooms during Covid-19 lockdown and after, (though commendable) but an indispensable element in educational enterprise that gives rooms for feedbacks is negligently neglected. In heterogeneous class where we have students of different intelligent Quotients (IQs), it is expected that a platform is provided where students can be assessed periodically and their progress can be monitored. Teaching without assessment is nothing but a sheer waste of time and resources.

Students' perceptions of LASUBEB English language TV instructors and instructions
Instructional TV, according to Mohammed and Haroun (2017), refers to the use of the television media to provide learning experiences on any subject areas and at any levels of organized educational programmes for students. Instructional TV programmes are usually more specific and tailored to meet the educational needs of specific group of students. Therefore, these programmes are strictly designed in line with students' scheme of work and curriculum, such that students' understanding and comprehension of whatever discourse in view are facilitated and importantly, learn in conducive environment. Well-structured television instruction programmes, thus, stimulate and improve students' cognitive learning skill (Bryson, 2018).   [X 3.5]; this inconsistency maybe the reason why many of the students do not exert efforts to learn from LASUBEB TV instructional programmes.
Research Question three revealed the perceptions secondary school students have of LASUBEB TV teachers. The study revealed that some of the students believe that LASUBEB TV teachers are not as qualified as their classroom teachers. This finding compliments the observations of Adegbola (2019) who found out that teaching styles could influence students' attitude towards a teacher. When the needs of the students are meant, therefore, they tend to have a positive perception of the teacher. In the same vein, the study revealed that classroom teachers in Lagos state do not encourage their students to tune-in to LASUBEB TV series and also, importantly, the study showed that LASUBEB TV lessons do not compliment what is being taught in the classrooms. There is a strong disparity between what students learn in the main stream school and what LASUBEB TV instructors teach. This reason amongst others makes the programme otiose before the learners.
This finding is in dissonance with the findings of Shettima et al. (2020) who found out that Independent Television (ITV) are structured in line with school curriculum. Salomen (1981) cited in Shettima et al (2020) supporting his claims with symbol system theory states that the effectiveness of a medium is dependent upon its match with the learner's needs, the context and the task. Blending a TV programmes becomes paramount as students get encouraged watching programmes which have relevance to their school work. The findings of Oliver and McLaughlin (1997) also negates the findings of this study. According to them, learning programmes aired over the radio and television networks are fashioned according to the curriculum produced by ministry of education and the topics taught by the tutors are from the syllabus.
LASUBEB TV teachers are the source or the textbook. The same teacher interprets the message from the source through other means e.g., gesture, audio-visual and others. The message is transmitted to the pupils. After receiving it, the pupils translate it and it goes back as feedback to the teacher. If the message is rejected, it then constitutes extraneous factors referred to as noise. The feedback could be in various forms e.g., answering of questions correctly, murmur, dragging of feet, etc. Feedbacks are therefore expedient as they provide teachers with practical information on the progress of their teachings.

Conclusion
This study examined instructional TV Channels and students' learning experiences using LASUBEB CLASSROOM-IN-YOUR-HOME TV programmes. Lagos State Government in collaboration with the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) organizes LASUBEB CLASSROOM-IN-YOUR-HOME TV programmes to increase literacy among the youths and the adults in the society. Basically, the TV instructional programmes are aimed at complimenting what goes on within the four walls of classrooms. From teachers' point of view, this strategy is perceived to be great and useful to students as it helps them to revise their school subjects. However, efforts have not been made to ascertain the effectiveness of these teachings from the students' point of view. It was this gap that informed this study. This study found out that a significant number of the students do not to tune-in to LASUBEB TV programmes, probably, because instructions were not presented in interesting forms. The study also revealed that the few students that tune-in do not show any commitments on the programme as they do not see any need to act accordingly to instructions given by the TV teachers.
Similarly, the study indicated that students have carefree attitudes towards assessment given by LASUBEB TV teachers and this may not be unconnected with the fact that there are no assessment platforms where assessors (LASUBEB TV Teachers) meet the assesse (the students). Thus, students see those assessments as a sheer waste of time since no one marks it. Furthermore, the study revealed that classroom teachers in Lagos state do not encourage their students to tune-in to LASUBEB TV series. This showed that there are no smooth relationships between teachers on the screens and classroom teachers. Importantly, the study revealed that LASUBEB TV lessons do not compliment what is being taught in the classrooms. In other words, LASUBEB curriculum do not blend with the school curriculum and this possess danger for students as they get encouragement to watch programmes that compliments what they are being taught in classrooms. Instructional TV provides a great channel for students to learn, most especially those in the rural area, but lack of feedbacks from the direct beneficiaries of the teaching may not elicit the desired change.
On the basis of the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made. First, feedback platforms should be created by LASUBEB TV for assessments. Through these platforms, assignments could be submitted for marking and grading. For instance, feedbacks could be sent through SMS. Second, a channel should be provided by LASUBEB TV where students could ask questions/clarifications regarding lessons taught. LASUBEB TV should make concerted effort to be develop a website where tests and other assessments could be taken by their audience (students). Next, LASUBEB TV teachers should work hands in hands with classroom teachers in the state. Through this, there will be uniformity of curricula and classroom teachers would their students to always watch LASUSBEB TV programmes. Last, lessons taught on LASUBEB programmes could be revised in class as this would help students to understand the lessons better and make them more committed to the programmes.