CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Adults do not learn in the same way as children, and they do not stay in a programme simply because it exists. They enrol when they expect to gain something useful, and they remain only when classes respect their experience, treat them as capable people and connect with their daily lives. The way facilitators teach is therefore one of the most immediate influences on whether adult learners attend, take part actively and persevere. Knowles et al. (2020) describe adult learning in terms of andragogy, whose assumptions include that adults are self-directed, bring valuable life experience, want learning that is relevant to their tasks and roles, and are motivated by internal as well as external factors. Teaching approaches that ignore these features, such as strict rote drilling or child-style lessons, are likely to discourage adults.

The literature on participation in adult learning stresses that institutional factors, including the quality of teaching, influence whether adults join and stay. The Fourth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education grouped barriers to participation into institutional, situational and dispositional categories, and treated the design and delivery of programmes as part of the institutional group (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning [UIL], 2019). Evidence from Nigeria and South Africa on what motivates adult literacy learners points in the same direction: Akintolu et al. (2022a) report that relevant materials, competent facilitators and empowering learners to work on their own goals can serve as motivating factors, and that money was the most frequently cited motivation among Nigerian respondents (65.8 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing). The same research team found that learner, facilitator and government factors inhibit the progress of adult community learning centres (Akintolu et al., 2022b).

Nigerian research has begun to examine how facilitators actually teach. Mabayoje and Itasanmi (2024) surveyed 120 adult literacy facilitators in Oyo State on their andragogical content knowledge and how they apply andragogical principles, including learner guidance and mentoring. They concluded that the facilitators showed a strong understanding of the principles and drew out implications for support strategies to maximise learners’ engagement, motivation and effective learning. This study, however, looked at what facilitators said they know and do, rather than at how their methods affected learners’ participation, and it was located in south-western Nigeria.

Akwa Ibom State provides an important setting for a study of teaching methods and participation. Ekpo et al. (2024) report that the State has 888 adult education centres, spread across three senatorial districts. Their survey of nine centres, three from each senatorial district, identified inadequate funding, policy inconsistency, lack of teachers’ qualification, low learner enrolment, and lack of learning materials and infrastructure among the weaknesses of adult education in the State. Low enrolment and weak facilitator preparation are closely related: if facilitators lack training in adult teaching methods, learners may not find classes attractive and may stay away. Yet no study has directly tested whether the teaching methods used in the State’s centres affect adult learners’ participation. This study investigates that relationship in adult literacy centres in Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket Local Government Areas, one from each senatorial district.

The wider evidence base also shows that programme quality cannot be assumed. Kolawole and Pusoetsile (2022) found no significant difference in literacy attainment between participants and non-participants in an adult basic education programme in Botswana and linked this to implementation problems. Belete et al. (2022) note that participation in adult learning is generally low and that African community learning centres face difficulties with facilitators, infrastructure and outreach. If teaching methods contribute to these problems, improving them is a practical route to higher participation.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Adult literacy centres in Akwa Ibom State aim to enrol adults who cannot read and write and to keep them engaged until they acquire functional literacy. However, centre records and the wider literature suggest that enrolment is low in many centres and that some learners attend irregularly or leave (Ekpo et al., 2024). Observers often attribute this to poverty and lack of time, but the role of facilitators’ teaching methods has received little systematic attention.

Available evidence shows that facilitators in Nigeria may understand adult learning principles (Mabayoje & Itasanmi, 2024) while centres still struggle with inadequate materials, insufficient qualified staff and weak support (Ekpo et al., 2024; Akintolu et al., 2022b). It is not known whether facilitators in Akwa Ibom centres use participatory, learner-centred methods such as group discussion, demonstration, use of learners’ experiences and problem-solving, or whether they rely mainly on lecture and rote drilling, nor how these choices influence learners’ attendance, involvement in class activities and persistence.

Without such evidence, the State Agency for Adult and Non-Formal Education and centre managers cannot decide whether facilitator training should focus on teaching methods, and facilitators themselves cannot judge which approaches encourage participation. The problem of this study is therefore the lack of empirical evidence on the effect of facilitators’ teaching methods on adult learners’ participation in literacy programmes in adult literacy centres in Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the study is to determine the effect of facilitators’ teaching methods on adult learners’ participation in literacy programmes in Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket Local Government Areas, Akwa Ibom State. The specific objectives are to:

1. identify the teaching methods commonly used by facilitators in the adult literacy centres;

2. determine the effect of participatory (learner-centred) teaching methods on learners’ attendance and active involvement in class;

3. determine the effect of facilitators’ use of learners’ experiences and real-life examples on learners’ persistence in the programme;

4. examine the extent to which facilitators have been trained in adult teaching methods and have access to instructional materials; and

5. identify the challenges that limit the use of effective teaching methods and suggest ways of addressing them.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What teaching methods do facilitators commonly use in the adult literacy centres?

2. What is the effect of participatory teaching methods on learners’ attendance and active involvement?

3. What is the effect of relating lessons to learners’ experiences and real-life needs on their persistence?

4. To what extent have facilitators been trained in adult teaching methods and provided with instructional materials?

5. What challenges limit the use of effective teaching methods in the centres?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance:

H₀₁: Facilitators’ teaching methods have no significant effect on adult learners’ participation in literacy programmes in the study area.

H₀₂: The use of participatory teaching methods has no significant effect on learners’ attendance and active involvement.

H₀₃: There is no significant relationship between facilitators’ training in adult teaching methods and learners’ participation.

H₀₄: There is no significant difference in the participation of male and female learners taught by facilitators using similar methods.

1.6 Significance of the Study

Adult learners. The study will help ensure that teaching in the centres takes account of adults’ needs and experiences, which can make classes more engaging.

Facilitators. They will learn which methods are associated with higher participation and can adjust their practice.

Centre managers and the Akwa Ibom State Agency for Adult and Non-Formal Education. The findings can guide facilitator training, supervision and the provision of materials, in line with the recommendation of Ekpo et al. (2024) to train teachers and facilitators.

NMEC and policymakers. The study provides evidence for national guidelines on facilitator preparation.

Non-governmental organisations. Organisations that train adult educators can use the findings to design relevant capacity-building.

1.7 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study is limited to adult literacy centres in Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State, selected to represent the three senatorial districts of the State. It covers adult learners aged 18 years and above who are enrolled in basic and post-literacy classes, together with their facilitators and centre supervisors. It focuses on teaching methods (lecture, discussion, demonstration, use of learners’ experiences, group work and use of instructional materials) and on participation, measured by attendance, involvement in class activities and persistence. It covers the 2025/2026 programme session. It does not examine learners’ final literacy scores.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

The study covers only three local government areas and cannot be generalised to all centres in Akwa Ibom State or Nigeria. Teaching methods will be assessed through learner and facilitator reports and a short classroom observation, which may not capture all sessions. Some learners have limited literacy, so items will be read aloud and explained in Ibibio, Annang or Pidgin where needed, which may introduce slight variation. Participation is influenced by many factors outside the classroom, such as work, family duties and income, so the study reports association and perceived effect more confidently than strict causation.

1.9 Operational Definition of Terms

Teaching methods: the approaches and techniques facilitators use to deliver lessons, including lecture, discussion, demonstration, group work, and use of learners’ experiences.

Participatory (learner-centred) methods: teaching approaches that involve learners actively, such as group discussion, problem-solving, demonstrations and sharing of experiences.

Facilitator: a person who teaches adult learners in an adult literacy centre.

Participation: enrolment, regular attendance, active involvement in class activities and persistence in a literacy programme.

Adult learner: a person aged 18 years or above who is enrolled in an adult literacy class.

Adult literacy centre: a designated venue where adult literacy classes are held regularly.

Andragogy: the art and science of helping adults learn.

References

Akintolu, M., Letseka, M., & Nzima, D. R. (2022a). Examining the adult literacy learners’ motivating factors in South Africa and Nigeria. The International Journal of Adult, Community and Professional Learning, 29(2).

Akintolu, M., Uleanya, C., & Letseka, M. (2022b). Examining key challenges in the programmes of adult community learning centres in KwaZulu-Natal. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/14779714211070307

Belete, S., Duke, C., Hinzen, H., et al. (2022). Community learning centres (CLCs) for adult learning and education (ALE): Development in and by communities. International Review of Education, 68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-022-09954-w

Ekpo, M. E., Umoh, U. E., & Udoaka, S. P. (2024). Adult education and entrepreneurial sustainable development in Nigeria: A study of Akwa Ibom State Agency for Adult and Non-Formal Education (2007–2023). Covenant Journal of Entrepreneurship, 8(1), 44–54. https://journals.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/index.php/cjoe/article/view/4183

Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., III, & Swanson, R. A. (2020). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (9th ed.). Routledge.

Kolawole, O. D., & Pusoetsile, T. (2022). What difference does literacy make among adult learners? Impact of adult basic education programme in a rural community in Botswana. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 28(1), 227–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/14779714211007495

Mabayoje, E. D., & Itasanmi, S. A. (2024). Exploring andragogical content knowledge and the implementation of andragogical principles in literacy facilitation among adult literacy facilitators in Nigeria. M3 Publishing, 3(2024), Article 9. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/m3publishing/vol3/iss2024/9/

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. (2019). 4th global report on adult learning and education: Leave no one behind – Participation, equity and inclusion. UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.