Play Facilities Utilization and Social Skill Development among Pre-Primary School Pupils

Play Facilities Utilization and Social Skill Development among Pre-Primary School Pupils

Abstract

This study was to examine Play Facilities Utilization and Social Skill Development among Pre-Primary School Pupils in Uyo Local Government Area. The population of the study was four thousand two hundred. The sample size of the study was two hundred and fifty (250) pupils which were selected from ten (10) primary schools using simple random sampling technique. Three research hypotheses were sated to guide the study.

The instrument used for data collection was pupils performing test question which contain ten (10) questions. Independent t-test method was employed for easy analysis of data. The findings of the study revealed that, play facilities utilization. Influences social skills development among pre-primary school pupils. It is recommended that, Government should employ only qualified teachers to teach in pre-primary schools. It is concluded that pre-primary school teachers should update their qualification so that he or she knows how to utilize play facilities among pre-primary school pupils.

CHAPTER ONE

INTROUDUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Play is a way for young children; it is a natural response as well as serious business to them. Any activity that children choose to engage is a play. Play is the essence creativity in children throughout the world. Play is universal and known in national or cultural boundaries. Play calls up image from the past and these childhood years when play focus on child’s walking hours. It carries with the hope and anticipation about a world of the adventures and exploration, a world of the young child.

Educators and psychologists see play activities as a reflection of the child’s growth and development, and also the child’s growth and development, and the child’s growth and development, and also the child’s life, and a window into the child’s world. It is self satisfying activity through which children gain control and come to understand life. Play teaches children about themselves, they learn about how tall or sort, they are, what thing to put in their hands when climbing a ladder.

In psychology and ethnology, play is a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with children and juvenile- level activities, but plays occurs at any life stage, and among other higher functioning animals do well, most notably mammals.

Many prominent researchers in the field psychology, including Melanie Klein, Jean Piaget and   Lev Vygotsky have viewed play as confirmed to the human species, believing play was important for human development an.d using different research methods to prove theories. Play is often interpreted as frivolous, focused on their objective, particularly when play is insured and good oriented, as in a game. According and spontaneous through frivolous to planned or even compulsive.

Play is not just a pastime activity; it has the potential to serve as a impartial tool in numerous aspect of daily life for adolescents, adult, and cognitively advanced non-human species (such as primates). Not one does play promote and aid in physical develop (such as hand-eye coordination), but it also aids in cognitive development and social skills, and can even act as a stepping stone into the world of integration, which can be a very stressful process.

Play Facilities Utilization and Social Skill Development among Pre-Primary School Pupils

Brown (2010) stated that children in this aged derived benefits from a number and types of play activities that support and nourish development in earlier years. Children are increasingly peers oriented during these years and better able to consciously co-operate, negotiated with each other and stick to simple rules in game in view of play facilities, Okeke (2008) stated that, play facilities are those facilities that promote pupils ability in learning responsibilities respect for others and co-operate may help to reduce those tendencies. He further opined that, play facilities are those facilities that help the pupils not to be passive but active during teaching and learning situation. They are those play things that help the help the outer world nearest to him and thus serves as mediator between the child’s mind the world.

Social skills are developed by children as a result of interaction with their friend. These include how they communication their intentions wishes to express to a felling successfully. Providing a variety of play facilities for children independent learning activities (alone or with peers) is one dimension of effectively promoting the development of social skill in the class-room. When the children have an available and variety of play facilities at different levels of interest areas, they can participate in a curriculum that meet their individual and group needs during play activities in the school. Proper utilization of play activities in the school. Proper utilization of play facilities therefore improves social skills development among pre-primary school pupils.

1.2 Statement of Problem

Inadequate utilization of facilities in our pre-primary school a deficit in the development process of the child social domain. As a result of this, most of the pupils exhibit unacceptable behavior such as aggressiveness, fighting, pronunciation skills, poor study habit, truancy, and stealing and examination malpractice among others. These behaviors exhibited by the, pupils if not given adequate attention as pupils grow up can become hardened in heart and consequently will lead them into cultism, smoking, stealing, drug abuse and other antisocial behaviors. The light of the above issues the problem of this study therefore is, to what extent does play facilities utilization affects social skill development among pre-primary school pupils in Uyo Local Government Area.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study the study has been to investigate play facilities utilization and social skill development among pre-primary school pupils in Uyo Local Government Area.

1. In specific terms, the study sought to examine the relationship between play facilities and pupils interactive skill development among pre-primary school pupils.
2. Ascertain the relationship between play facilities and pupils competitive skills development among pre-primary school pupils.
3. Assess the relationship between play facilitate and pupils communication skills development in Uyo Local Government.

1.4 Significant of the study

The study will be of immense benefit to the following set of people:

1. Teachers will also benefit from this study in the sense that they will modify their teaching structure that will suit all categories of pupils using play facilities.
2. Government: The findings of the study will be of benefits to government in who now employ qualified teacher to teach in pre-primary school.
3. The study will provide information for parents on the role of play facilities in the growth and development of pre-primary school.
4. Pupils: This work will provide useful suggestions that will help in reducing pupils’ poor academic performance in school.

5 Other researchers who wish to carry out study on a similar will find this work useful.

1.5 Research Question

For the purpose of this study, three research questions were formulated to guide the study.

1 To what extent does play facilities relates interactive skill development among pre-primary school pupils?

2 In what way does play facilities utilization relates with competitive skill development among pre-primary school pupils?

3 How does play facilities utilization relation relates with communication skill development among pre-primary school pupils?

1.6 Research Hypothesis

The following null hypotheses were stated for the study;

1. There is no significant relationship between play facilities utilization and interactive skill development among pre-primary school pupils.

2 There is no significant relationship between play facilities utilization and competitive skill development among pre-primary school pupils.

3. There is no significant relationship between play facilities and communication skills development among pre-primary school pupils.

1.7 Delimitation of the study

          The scope of the study is delimited to ten (10) primary school in the study area. The study focuses on play facilities utilization and social skills development among pre-primary school pupils in Uyo Local Government Area.

1.8 Limitation of the study

          The study has some major challenges which posed problems to the research. The following are the limitations:

1. Financial hardship as well as unavailability of sufficient materials for the study.
2. Limited time did not aw the study to be carried out in all the school in the study area.
3. Problem of distance and geographical terrain of the study area.
4. Transportation problem and the current economy micro recession made it difficult for researcher to move from one primary school to collect information for study.

1.9 Definition of terms

 In order enhance proper understanding of the study, the following terms are defined in the context of the study.

Play facilities: Are those facilities that help the pupils not to be passive active during play. They are those things that help the child to freely express what lives within him or her in other to bring then phenomena of the outer world nearer to him and thus serves as a mediator between the child and the world.

Utilization: This process of bringing pupils into contact the media component to facilities learning.

Social skills: This has to do with those skills and abilities which the children learn as a result of interacting with their friends.