CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background Of The Study

At all phases of life, interest as a motivator for learning and living is essential. It may mean the difference between learning and not learning for children, partially because their interests shift. As a result, a child can develop an interest in a specific activity at any stage of growth. He devotes time, energy, and intellectual resources to this endeavor. Depending on his perseverance, he may gain certain talents or proficiency in that activity. In four or five years, interest may move to another activity, and the cycle of skill and expertise building will be repeated.

Children who have a broad range of interests at any given stage of development are more likely to acquire a broad range of information, skills, and competence than those who have few or none. As a result, interests pervade both life and learning. Because youngsters have more spontaneity than adults, an interest produces a drive and a stimulant that drives performance. Most elementary school-age children are learning-hungry (Alkhfak, Eman 2010 cited in Ibrahim Al-Shara 2015), which emphasizes the value of interest growth at this time, since whatever they study, they learn quickly, enthusiastically, and with minimal difficulty. In other words, their ability to learn is at an all-time high.

Studies of the favourite activities of children were done in the United States and in specific areas such as reading or media interests. In many of the studies of general interests,watching television was found to be the most popular. Other studies  have also found sports and games of various types the favourite past times of children.

Alhela, Mohammed, Aisha, Ghoneim (2002) cited in Suheir Hassan K. (2016) asked more than two hundred fourth graders what they would do if they could do anything they wanted, play activities ranked just slightly higher than shoo1 work, followed by reading, helping with chores at home, and working for money. Alkhfak, Eman (2010). cited in Suheir Hassan K. (2016) reporting on a study of Kenyan children found that "academics" was the most frequently named favourite activity by his subjects, followed by home duties, sports and games. Thus this study seeks to examine An investigation of favourite primary school pupil activities.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Children's activities have enormous potential for teaching and learning. They, like other activities, have the simple benefit of keeping youngsters occupied. They are, though, demanding, bringing out children's talent and promise. Since the children choose to do these things, no urging, reminding, or outside stimulus is needed. Thus, one of the finest strategies of learning is promoted: self-learning.

Self-learning broadens and enriches the learner's knowledge and creativity. It enables the learner to pursue his or her own private potentials at his or her own speed and with his or her own period, utilizing his or her own tools. Self-motivation is promoted, allowing the learner to profit from self-interaction. He selects the backgrounds, abilities, and procedures, or some mixture of these, he wants to investigate. Through this practice, the child learner gradually prepares himself to be a self-teacher. When a learner develops this ability early in his career, he is more likely to have a relatively pleasant passage through youth and adult learning tasks and to be able to rely on himself to structure and prepare learning experiences suitable for his needs. Thus, self-education is a skill and experience that will be useful throughout one's life.

Aside from the wealth and self-education gained from self-imposed practices, the learner also gains proficiency in certain abilities. When dealing with academic activities, these may include the development of problem-solving, reasoning, and discussion skills.For the child dealing with physical activities, skills could be developed in co-ordination, accuracy, estimation of distances, timing and various others. When such activities are undertaken in the company of other children, added advantages accrue, since healthy social relationship demands that virtues such as sympathy, tolerance, accommodation, forgiveness,compromise, empathy and the like be acquired and utilized.

From all these considerations, it is desirable to encourage children to engage in activities which they find interesting. The discoveries they make about their world, the conclusion they arrive at regarding their own abilities and potentials, both by themselves and in relation to others, are too valuable to be neglected, and too personal to be acquired any other way. Therefore it is upon the premise that this investigation sets out to identify and categorize those activities which elementary school children find interesting enough to voluntarily engage in.

1.3 Objective of the study

The primary objective of this study is to examine do an investigation of favourite primary school pupil activities. Specifically it seeks:

1. To examine the favourite activities of primary school children.

2.  To investigate if favourite activities of younger children differ from those of older children

3. To determine if  favourite activities of boys differ from those of girls

4. To examine if  favourite activities of urban children differ from those of rural children.

1.4 Research Question

The research is guided by the following research questions

1. What are the favourite activities of elementary school children in Anambra State?

2. Do the favourite activities of younger children differ from those of older children?'

3. Do the favourite activities of boys differ from those of girls?

4. Do the favourite activities of urban children differ from those of rural children?

1.5 Significance of the study

The study will be significant to teachers, school owners and curriculum planners. To teachers, the study will enlighten them on the need adopt the play method of teaching, expose their pupils to different activities and allow allow their pupils explore them as this encourages self-learning and helps them to unleash their potentials. To school owners the study will create awareness on the need for them to install modern play facilities in their school, as the teacher cannot introduce fun activities in vague without adequate infrastructures. To curriculum designers and educational stakeholders, the study will expose the urgency of them inculcating fun activities in the elementary/primary curriculum as this will always encourage teachers who are the implementer to do the needful. Finally this study will be helpful to education student, it will contribute to the body of knowledge, serve as a reference material for other researchers and provide opportunities for further inquiry in elementary studies.

1.6 Scope of the study

The scope of this study borders on the investigation of favourite primary school pupil activities. It will examine the favourite activities of primary school children. It will  investigate if favourite activities of younger children differ from those of older children. It will determine weather favourite activities of boys differ from those of girls. It will examine if  favourite activities of urban children differ from those of rural children. The study is however limited to selected schools in Owerri Municipal in Imo State.

1.7 Limitation of the study

The following posed to be a constraint to the study

Financial constraint– Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time constraint– The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

However in the midst  above mentioned limitation the researcher devotedly ensured that the purpose of the study was actualized.

REFERENCE

Ibrahim Al-Shara (2015). Learning And Teaching Between Enjoyment And Boredom As Realized By The Students: a Survey From The Educational Field, retrieved from European Scientific Journal July 2015 edition vol.11, No.19 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431

 Alkhfak, Eman (2010). Games, a Strategy of Modern Learning, Amman: curriculum

House for publishing and distribution.

Alhela, Mohammed, Aisha, Ghoneim (2002). " The Impact of Educational Linguistic Games (computerized and ordinary) in Tackling the Difficulties of Reading Among Fourth Grade Primary Students, Alnajah Journal For Research (human studies) 16 (2) 590-625

Suheir Hassan K. (2016), The Impact of Educational Games on the Academic Achievement of Fifth Grade Students in Science retrieved International Journal of Education and Research Vol. 4 No. 12 December 2016.

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