PERCEPTIONS OF PRESCHOOL TEACHERS ON THE AVAILABILITY AND USE OF CARTOONS AS INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR TEACHING LEARNERS IN IJEBU-ODE

The study investigated teachers’ perceptions of the availability and use of cartoons as instructional materials for teaching preschool learners in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. A descriptive research design was employed. The population comprised preschool teachers in public primary schools in the Ijebu-Ode local government area. Simple random sampling techniques with a total of 147 preschool teachers were selected as the sample size. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. A self-developed and validated questionnaire “Teacher Perception on the Use of Cartoons Questionnaire” (TPUCQ) was used for data collection with 0.84 as the reliability coefficient. Descriptive statistics were used for analyzing research questions. Hypotheses were tested using a t-test. The findings revealed that Super Why, Word World, team unizoomi, Number Blocks, Wonder Pets, and Cyber Chase were educational cartoons available and utilized for instruction delivery. Teachers perceived cartoons as instructional materials that made preschool pupils laugh or smile, open their horizons, speak volumes, increase attention, and make the lessons interesting among others. It also arouses children’s imagination. There was a significant difference in the mean ratings of teachers on the availability, use, and perceptions of cartoons as instructional materials for teaching preschool learners. Government and stakeholders within the educational industry should provide relevant educational cartoons for preschools in the Ijebu-Ode local government area of Ogun State.